US-born IS bride appeals again to come home from Syria

WASHINGTON: A US-born woman who says she regrets having joined the Islamic State group has appealed again to come home from the refugee camp where she lives with her small son in Syria.

The government is refusing to let Hoda Muthana return to the United States, arguing that she is not an American citizen.

In an interview with NBC News published on Saturday, Muthana said she “regrets every single thing” done by IS, which she joined in 2014 after embracing extremist ideology while living with her family in Alabama.

“Anyone that believes in God believes that everyone deserves a second chance, no matter how harmful their sins were,” she said.

The interview was conducted in northeast Syria at the Al-Roj refugee camp, controlled by Kurdish forces, where Muthana lives with her twoyear-old son Adam.

Muthana said she fears for her life because she could be targeted by people at the camp who have not renounced IS.

“I did not support the beheadings from (IS) from day one, until now I do not support any of their crimes and suicide attacks,” Muthana said.

The US government has repatriated several American women linked to the group, along with their children, but not Muthana.

Washington argues she is not a US citizen even though she was born in the United States because she is the daughter of a diplomat serving for the Yemeni government at the time.

Muthana has filed a suit to try to return to the US. She had travelled to Syria on a US passport.