IRBIL, Iraq: A Palestinian-American member of the Daesh group on Monday gave himself up to an Iraqi Kurdish military unit in the country’s north, an Iraqi Kurdish general said.
The circumstances of the surrender were not fully disclosed but it marked a rare instance in which a Daesh fighter voluntarily gave himself up to Iraqi or Kurdish forces in Iraq.
In neighboring Syria, meanwhile, Syrian Kurdish fighters battling Daesh, have said that they are seeing an increase in the number of Daesh members surrendering following recent territorial losses.
Maj. Gen. Feisal Helkani of the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces, which are playing a key role along with the Iraqi military in battling Daesh, identified the individual who surrendered as Mohammed Jamal Amin.
Helkani said the man is a Palestinian-American who has been fighting with Daesh in Iraq and who surrendered on Monday morning near the town of Sinjar, which was retaken by Iraqi forces from IS militants late last year.
According to Helkani, Amin was carrying with him a large amount of cash, three cell phones and three forms of identification, including a US driving license. The Daesh fighter is currently being held by the peshmerga troops for interrogation, Helkani added.
The Iraqi Kurdish general did not provide further details or a hometown or state for the Palestinian-American.
Last week, Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama’s envoy to the US-led coalition fighting the Daesh group, announced that Daesh had lost more than 3,000 sq. km of territory in Syria and more than 600 fighters over the past month.
Palestinian-American Daesh member turns himself in
Palestinian-American Daesh member turns himself in
