British jihadis escaped after deal with IS

BRITISH jihadis are feared to be among hundreds of foreign fighters allowed to escape Raqqa under the noses of coalition forces.

Almost 4,000 IS militants and their families were reportedly allowed to leave in a four-mile convoy as the Islamist stronghold in Syria fell last month.

Witnesses said it included ‘huge’ numbers of foreign fighters – including some English speakers – who are said to have since spread out across Syria and into Turkey, potentially en route to Europe.

This was despite the coalition being assured that no foreign fighters would be allowed to leave and previous US pledges that they would all be killed rather than allowed to return home.

The exodus is understood to have been agreed to spare Kurdish forces, the BBC reported. They were leading the fight against IS on the ground and it would have required a fight to the death to clear the last surviving jihadis from the capital of their self-declared caliphate.

A truce was negotiated with local leaders to allow the remaining fighters and their families to leave. A Western Coalition officer was present but not actively involved.

The convoy – also said to have been carrying tons of weapons and ammunition – left on October 12 bound for a camp further north in territory still held by IS.

Coalition forces said they had been assured no foreign fighters would be allowed on it and believed only four had sneaked on, all of whom were in custody.