Returning jihadis could help combat ISIS, says EU counter-terrorism chief

Fighters returning to their home countries from Syria and Iraq should be recruited to talk publicly about their experiences, the EU’s senior counter-terrorism official has urged.

Gilles de Kerchove said that in cases where they were not considered a threat, such people could be used by governments to reveal details of the brutal conditions within the so-called caliphate of Islamic State (ISIS) or other rebel groups.

“Some returnees who don’t have ‘blood on their hands’ are a strong credible voice for counter-narrative purposes,” he said. “They can explain what they have experienced, that they thought they were joining a nice idea of the caliphate but encountered people sexually abusing others, or being violent.”

He added that a blanket criminalisation of all individuals returning from Syria and Iraq was unproductive and urged countries to develop more sophisticated strategies to deal with those returning home.

Read More- The Guardian

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