Army specialists travel to Turkey to aid return of Isis bride Lisa Smith
Appeal for Smith and daughter Rakaya to be repatriated from Syria
PERSONNEL from the Irish Defence Forces have travelled to Turkey to investigate the return of ISIS bride Lisa Smith.
A group of specialists in the Emergency Civilian Assistance Team (ECAT) carried out a risk assessment to potentially aid Smith’s controversial return.
The group, which included members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) and the Defence Forces, met Turkish officials
Sources say Smith is reluctant to return
to ascertain Smith’s location and the risks to her and her young child.
Previously, diplomatic missions to those holding Smith were politically sensitive as she was held by a Syrian Kurdish-led administration not recognised by the Irish government.
Smith managed to leave the Kurdish-run camp in Ain Issa, north eastern Syria, where she was held for several months after Turkishbacked factions carried out an offensive into Syria.
A Turkish-backed militia accused of war crimes took Smith and ‘Isis matchmaker’ Tooba Gondal to an area near the Turkish border.
Now under the control of Turkishbacked forces, the Irish government had appealed to Turkey to repatriate Smith and her daughter Rakaya.
Sources close to Smith say she is now reluctant to return home.
Locals in Dundalk have expressed concern over Smith’s return to Ireland
and it is believed inquiries have been sent to the local council to find out if Smith intends to move to a local council estate.
Gardaí are currently investigating Smith and will be sending a file to the Department of Public Prosecutions.
It is unclear what evidence exists of Smith’s life in Isis but Syrians have linked the 38-year-old with a school for girls in Raqqa.
Smith associated with infamous foreign Isis recruits while in Raqqa, including notorious jihadists Sally Jones and Isis propagandist John Georgelas.
A statement from the Department of Foreign Affairs read: ‘DFAT has been monitoring this case for some time. As with all cases involving Irish citizens in danger or distress overseas, we continue to provide consular assistance as appropriate. The welfare of a young child is of particular concern. It is not appropriate to comment further at this time.’
The Irish Defence Forces stated they cannot comment on the matter at present.
‘For reasons of operational security, Óglaigh na hÉireann do not comment on the movements or disposition of personnel. Queries in relation to cases involving an Irish citizen should be referred to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.’
The MoS previously interviewed Ms Smith as she was being held at the Al Hawl refugee camp on the Syrian-Iraqi border along with her daughter and thousands of other Isis prisoners.
In an exclusive interview with the MoS she said she made a big mistake by travelling to Syria and pleaded to be allowed to come home.
She told the MoS about how she was radicalised online after speaking with extremist Islamists who told her that her previous experience in the defence forces would be useful to Isis.
Despite this, she denied to the MoS that she trained other Isis members to fire weapons and claimed she had never even held a gun.
She married twice, first to a Tunisian man she met in Istanbul who advised her against travelling to Syria, and secondly to a British Isis fighter who was killed in battle.
Her father, George Martin, previously made an emotional plea to Taoiseach Leo Varadkar to bring his daughter and granddaughter home – also in an interview with the MoS.
Smith denied giving weapons training