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U.S. citizen fighting for Islamic State surrenders in Syria: officials

Arab World Materials 14 September 2017 23:05 (UTC +04:00)
An American citizen fighting for Islamic State in Syria surrendered to U.S-backed forces earlier this week
U.S. citizen fighting for Islamic State surrenders in Syria: officials

An American citizen fighting for Islamic State in Syria surrendered to U.S-backed forces earlier this week, U.S. officials said on Thursday, Reuters reported.

The officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the American had surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S.-backed alliance of mostly Arab and Kurdish fighters.

The officials did not give the exact location of the surrender nor the current location of the American.

Colonel Ryan Dillon, a spokesman for the U.S-led coalition fighting Islamic State, told reporters earlier that he was aware of the reports but referred questions to the State Department.

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It is not the first time an American citizen fighting for the group has been detained.

In June, a Virginia man who traveled to Syria to become a suicide bomber for Islamic State was convicted of providing material support to the militant group.

Mohamad Jamal Khweis, 27, spent about 2-1/2 months in early 2016 traveling with Islamic State fighters in Syria and Iraq and participating in the group’s religious training.

He was detained by Kurdish peshmerga forces in northern Iraq in March 2016 and turned over to U.S. authorities.

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