Shamima Begum, known for her controversial decision to join ISIS at the age of 15, has been photographed after years of being stranded in exile. Begum left her family to join ISIS, leading to the revocation of her British citizenship and her subsequent detention in a camp in Syria.
Now 26 years old, Begum expressed her desire to return home while speaking with the Daily Express from the camp where she described the conditions as “filthy.” Recent images of her show signs of physical decline, reigniting the debate on whether she should be allowed to return to the UK.
Little is known about Begum’s two school friends, Kadiza Sultana and Amira Abase, who also joined her on the journey to Syria. The trio, former top students at Bethnal Green Academy, made headlines when CCTV footage captured their attempts to leave the UK and join ISIS.
Despite Begum claiming to have been a housewife in ISIS, intelligence sources suggest she may have been involved in dangerous activities. Sultana, the eldest of the three, married an American ISIS fighter and reportedly expressed fear and a desire to return to the UK before her alleged death in a Russian airstrike.
Abase, who wed an Australian ISIS fighter known as the Ginger Jihadi, also faced a tragic fate as her communication with her family abruptly ceased, leading to speculation about her well-being. Begum herself married an ISIS fighter and Dutch national at a young age, losing her British citizenship and facing legal battles to return.
Despite legal setbacks and government refusals to allow her return, Begum remains hopeful, with her lawyers pursuing avenues in the European Court of Human Rights for a potential comeback. The ongoing saga of Begum and her friends continues to raise complex moral and legal questions in the context of national security and international relations.