The return of ISIS prisoners and their families to Europe

The Netherlands and Australia deny repatriation of ISIS prisoners and their families

The Netherlands and Australia have taken a clear decision not to repatriate these prisoners and their families. The Dutch government said it had no plans to repatriate Dutch ISIS members and put them on trial. The current Dutch government is led by the centre-left Democrats 66 party. The Dutch government said that prosecutions and prison sentences should be carried out in the Middle East and that it would only consider taking back prisoners if there is no threat to national security. Nevertheless, Dutch human rights lawyers are preparing to call on the Dutch government to take responsibility for its citizens. They want ISIS members to be handed over and tried under the Dutch justice system, not the Iraqi justice system. However, the issue of whether the documentation required for legal proceedings in the Netherlands is available has also arisen.[1]

In 2019 and 2022, Australia repatriated several women and children linked to ISIS from refugee camps in Syria. This has given rise to a conflict between security policy and the law.[2] Thirty-four Australian mothers and children are still waiting to be repatriated, and the Australian government is under pressure; many of these women and children obtained valid Australian passports after their relatives traveled to Syria to pick them up. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said that Australia would not repatriate its citizens who have links to members of the Islamic State. He told families stuck in Syria that they would not take any responsibility for those “who traveled abroad to take part in an attempt to establish a caliphate, the aim of which was to undermine and destroy our way of life”.[3]

Countries that readmit their citizens: Russia and Turkey

Russia, Turkey, and Kosovo have agreed to take back their citizens. 130 Russian and 160 Turkish citizens have fought for ISIS and are currently being held in Iraqi prisons. Russia and Turkey are taking great risks to repatriate their citizens.[4] Most Russian ISIS members come from the Chechen Dagestan region, where two terrorist attacks took place in 2024.[5] In the case of Turkey, most foreign ISIS members who joined in Iraq and Syria between 2013 and 2016 used Turkey as a transit route, taking advantage of smuggling networks. Both Kosovo and Italy have agreed to repatriate their nationals for trial. The United States is urging European countries to repatriate their fighters and their families to punish the criminals and to rehabilitate the children and wives.[6]

Russia and Turkey have the experience and resources to control returning ISIS fighters, having dealt with Islamist militants in the past. They will likely use these to extract information from the prisoners about their network and strategic objectives. They can also simply neutralise the threat by keeping them in prison for longer periods without pressure from NGOs. But the situation is different in countries like Kosovo, which lacks the infrastructure and human resources to control prisoners. Even in prison, Islamist terrorists manage to recruit new members who share their destructive impulses and want to harm society.[7]

Risks of return of ISIS members and their family members

At present, one of the biggest security risks is the returning jihadists and their families. In most cases, returnees do not abandon their radical ideology and continue to visit the countries where they fought. This fact is supported by the case of the jihadists who returned from Afghanistan in the 1990s. After the end of the Afghan jihad against the Soviets in 1989, returning jihadists and their families became centres of jihadism in the West. Some Taliban fighters who returned to Europe become supporters of the new al-Qaeda terrorism. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, many al-Qaeda militants who had previously fought in Afghanistan held European passports and, while living in Europe, were able to travel freely to Afghanistan.[8]

In early 2026, the Syrian government officially confirmed that thousands of people had fled the ISIS-affiliated al-Hol camp, the largest of its kind in the Hasakah Governorate, near the Iraqi border. The escape took place during fighting between the central government and the Kurdish militia SDF, which controls the camp, when prisoners opened internal breakthroughs and checkpoints inside the camp, allowing thousands of people to escape. There were around 23,500 detainees in the camp, many of them wives or widows of ISIS fighters and their children. The mass escape was confirmed by US intelligence.[9] These prisoners were effectively held for years, although most were not combatants.

According to some sources, at least 15,000 prisoners escaped, which represents a significant resupply and could increase the likelihood of their regrouping in the West or the Middle East.[10] ISIS is already actively carrying out terrorist attacks in Syria. If war breaks out with Iran and Iraqi Shia militias, ISIS will find a new way to fight.[11] It is clear that a major conflict in the Middle East, combined with the return of ISIS fighters and their family members to Western countries, increases the risk of terrorism in Europe. Bringing ISIS fighters back to Europe would be a risky move, given the organisation’s ideology and the huge efforts made by European states to fight ISIS over the past decade.

Conclusion

ISIS fighters and their families are unlikely to give up their violent beliefs once they return home. The rehabilitation of Islamists generally fails, and the fact that ISIS remains highly active in various regions (particularly in the Middle East and Africa) indicates that the ideology is far from dead. After repatriation, radical Islamists often create new terrorist networks, recruit in prison and return to the country where they fought. The return of these fighters and their families would pose a major security risk to Western countries, as ISIS has carried out dozens of terrorist attacks in the West in recent years. The return of ISIS fighters to Kosovo would also pose a security threat in the Balkans. 

How are countries responding?

• Rejecting countries: The Netherlands and Australia do not want to automatically repatriate ISIS members; they would keep the prosecution in the region, citing national security risks.
• Readmitting countries: Russia, Turkey, Kosovo and Italy have agreed to repatriate and prosecute their nationals, and the United States is encouraging European countries to do the same.
• Differences in capabilities: Russia and Turkey have significant experience and resources; other countries (e.g., Kosovo) have limited monitoring capacity.

Terror threat risk

1. Historical precedent

• 1990s: Jihadists returning from Afghanistan
• Strengthening of Western radicalisation networks

2. Camp Al-Hol escape (2026)

• Mass outbreak
• According to some sources, min. 15,000 people may have escaped
• Potential new recruits for ISIS

3. Regional instability

• ISIS remains active in Syria
• A potential conflict in the Middle East could create new opportunities

Main conclusions

• Radical ideology does not end with the return home
• Rehabilitation is often limited
• Risk of new networking and prison recruitment
• Both the Balkans and Western Europe could be affected

Summary

The repatriation of ISIS fighters and their families is a complex national security issue. Mass escapes, divergent strategies among governments, and instability in the Middle East could collectively increase the risk of terrorism in Europe in the coming years.