Jihadi Britons: We’ll fight to death in Syria
...as Russians prepare to launch attack
BRITISH jihadis in Syria pledged to fight to the death yesterday as they faced annihilation at the hands of Russian forces.
The extremist fighters are among the final Western militants left in the north-west Syrian province of Idlib.
They are refusing to lay down their weapons as forces allied to Russia and the Syrian regime prepare to launch a final offensive.
Amer Deghayes, 24, whose two younger brothers have died fighting, said he could not return to the UK, where he would face terrorist charges.
Wearing a military-style khaki T-shirt, the Brighton-born jihadi denied Western fighters had made life worse for Syrians.
‘If I believe what you said I would have been gone a long time ago,’ he said.
‘ For me... Syria... there is always changes, there is always obstacles, there is always difficulty. But the difference between me and you is I have belief.’
Asked by the BBC whether he was not welcome in the country, he added: ‘Nobody asked me to leave or said I made it worse, to be honest with you.’
A fellow British fighter, known only as Abu Yousef, said he and Deghayes were among six British jihadis left in the region.
Yousef was filmed boxing and working out while wearing a ‘Liverpool 2015 half-marathon’ T-shirt.
Speaking with a southern English accent via a web video link, he said putting down his weapons would endanger him and others.
He said: ‘So if I lay down my weapons now what kind of assurance do I have that the regime is not going to continue raping and killing?
‘Of course, there is no assurance – no superpower in the world is going to come in and save the day just because I put my weapon down. These Syrians, my Muslim brethren here, even the non-Muslims – if you can assure me they are not going to be slaughtered, raped, oppressed, by me disappearing, come here and assure me of this.’
The security services continue to monitor the activities of Deghayes and his fellow militants in the Middle Eastern warzone.
Since travelling to Syria five years ago, he has married and had a daughter while fighting on the front line. Deghayes’s brothers Abdullah, 18, and Jaffar, 17, were both killed after following him to Syria. Jaffar died in October 2014 and Abdullah in 2016.
Their father, Abubaker Deghayes, 50, has come under intense scrutiny over his sons’ upbringing and exposure to extremist influences.
‘No superpower will save the day’
His brother Omar Deghayes was awarded substantial compensation after he was imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay for six years.
Amer Deghayes is linked to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham – formerly the al-Nusra Front and once allied to Al-Qaeda – which is suspected of atrocities and torture.
Russian and Turkish forces agreed to create a demilitarised zone in Idlib but have warned foreign fighters they must leave by October 15.
They have already unleashed waves of air strikes on the province’s southern border, raising fears of further fighting.
Observers estimate there are among 70,000 rebel militants among the civilian population, the majority of whom have previously refused to surrender. Diplomats say they include dozens of British, Dutch and Germans.
The UK authorities pledged to arrest and prosecute anyone suspected of supporting or fighting for terrorist groups in Syria, but several suspected extremists remain on the streets after investigators struggled to find evidence linking them to the groups.