Bint Dahlia was 33 when she left Germany with her husband and children to start life in the Islamic State\u2019s newly declared caliphate.<\/p>\n
She is one of thousands of Europeans who did \u2014 and, five years later, one of hundreds trying to come back.<\/p>\n
European governments have resisted repatriating their nationals since the caliphate crumbled. Leaders fear domestic attacks and public backlash and have argued that trials should take place regionally.<\/p>\n
But now Europe\u2019s hand is being forced. Although Turkey has said it is starting to deport people in its custody with suspected Islamic State links, even more significant are landmark court cases giving governments little choice.<\/p>\n
Last week, an appeals court in Berlin ruled that the German government should repatriate Bint Dahlia alongside her three children from al-Hol, a squalid Kurdish-run camp inside Syria. (The woman\u2019s real name was redacted in court documents shared with The Washington Post, and her relatives have asked that The Post use a family nickname for her safety.)<\/p>\n
Read it all<\/a>.<\/p>\n Europe has resisted taking back citizens who joined ISIS. Now, it may not have a choice. https:\/\/t.co\/9bnde73LMg<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 15, 2019<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n