Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Threat to region and Europe as 1,000 flee amid Turkey blitz
FEARS of a fresh wave of Islamic State atrocities soared after a thousand members of the terror group broke out of Kurdish jails in Syria.
Around 950 IS family members fled Ayn Issa Camp over the weekend and fighters have escaped from Navkur Prison following Turkey’s military blitz.
Scores of Ankara-backed rebels are now believed to have jihadist links to IS and want to spring prisoners.
A British security source said: “This is a serious reversal of fortunes for IS after so much blood was spilled defeating them over years. Their leaders are emboldened and this will not only spark anarchy across a briefly peaceful region but embolden IS to start planning atrocities across Europe once more.”
It came as reports claimed Turkish forces had shelled a convoy of aid workers, journalists and civilians at the town of Ras al-ain. Kurdish forces said 11 were killed and 74 injured but it was not clear how many were civilians.
Jail escapees may include British IS recruiter Tooba Gondal, 25, thought to have recruited London schoolgirl Shamima Begum.
Three other unnamed British women are thought to have fled but the whereabouts of Begum is unknown.
Kurdish troops who have guarded 10,000 IS members warn Turkey’s strikes could allow more jihadists to go free.
The Rojava Defence Units said: “Watching over IS prisoners in Syria is a second priority now the US has cleared the way for a Turkish assault.”
Around 1,000 US troops began withdrawing from north-east Syria yesterday.
Syrian Democratic Forces leader General Mazloum Kobani Abdi told President Trump’s regime: “You are leaving us to be slaughtered. You have sold us.”
Turkey’s blitz on the Syrian Kurds – who helped beat IS but are regarded as terrorists by Ankara – has been widely condemned. Some 130,000 civilians have already fled the fighting, sparking fears of a major humanitarian disaster.
Downing Street said the PM has urged President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to end the campaign and enter into dialogue.
In London, hundreds of protesters, including Kurdish citizens, bore placards bearing images of Erdogan and slogans like “Murderer Turkish state” as they made their way to Parliament Square.
Niaz Maarof, 41, a driver from London originally from South Kurdistan, said: “The world does owe the Kurdish for what they did in Syria. We are upset, not only with Turkey but most of the world, because we are not being helped.”