Begum snaps at reporter during al-Hol camp interview as UK repatriation debate intensifies

Shamima Begum, the British-born former Islamic State member, stormed out of a brief face-to-face interview at the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, appearing pale and thin as she refused to answer questions. The moment, captured during a short sit-down at the grim camp, was Begum’s first on-camera interview in years.

Begum, now 26, was raised in Bethnal Green, east London, and traveled to Syria in 2015 to join ISIS. She later became a child bride to Dutch convert Yago Riedijk, with whom she had three children who died in infancy. Home Secretary Sajid Javid stripped her British citizenship in 2019, triggering a lengthy legal and public-relations campaign to overturn the decision. Begum’s latest interview, with the Daily Express, was her first on-camera appearance since a controversial BBC podcast in 2023.

The broader debate over whether Begum should be allowed to return to Britain has drawn comment from political figures in both the United States and the United Kingdom. Nigel Farage said he has become more thoughtful about the idea of repatriating Begum after signals from the Trump administration suggesting such a move might be required. He had previously said he did not want to take back Begum or other ISIS-linked individuals. Sebastian Gorka, a former Trump adviser, argued that a serious ally of the United States should take back its citizens detained in northeast Syria, framing the issue within the broader context of the so-called “special relationship.”

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has been clear that a government led by her party would never take Begum back, stating that citizenship should reflect commitment to a country, not serve as a tool for “crime tourism.” Labour figure David Lammy has also pressed the line that Begum would not be allowed back to the UK, underscoring security considerations.

The case sits amid a wider security and humanitarian dispute: tens of thousands of ISIS-linked figures are held in camps run by the Syrian Democratic Forces, with Western partners under growing pressure since ISIS’s territorial defeat in 2019 to repatriate their citizens. The United States has argued that nations bear a moral responsibility to bring prisoners home and prosecute them there, while several European countries, including Spain and France, have already repatriated some nationals. Britain has remained notably resistant to broad repatriation, making Begum’s case one of the most high-profile tests of that stance.

In the broader context, European governments have cited concerns about camp conditions, deradicalization challenges, and the potential risk of releasing detainees back into society as factors in their decisions. The United States has consistently urged allied nations to act, arguing that failing to do so undermines international efforts to combat terrorism. Britain’s position reflects a longer-standing policy of limiting repatriations, a stance that continues to shape public and political debate as the cases of Begum and others in camps remain unresolved.