Bloodthirsty British jihadists in Syria are responsible for a string of atrocities including beheadings and crucifixions, claims a senior rebel commander.
Brigadier-General Abdulellah al-Basheer of the Free Syria Army also warns that the British extremists could return to these shores to “continue on their pernicious path of destruction”.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
General al-Basheer writes: “They are not freedom fighters. They are terrorists. We the Syrian people now experience beheadings, crucifixions, beatings, murders . . . Many who participate in these activities are British.”
British MPs say that a debate on policy towards Syria is long overdue. The threat potentially posed by returning jihadists is of particular concern. “That in itself is worthy of proper discussion,” said the former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell.
Britain currently provides non-lethal support, including communications equipment and body armour, to moderate rebels in Syria. The government has thus far ruled out providing arms, which it fears could fall into the hands of a growing number of terrorist groups in the warzone.
-
Political cartoons for January 25Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include a hot economy, A.I. wisdom, and more
-
Le Pen back in the dock: the trial that’s shaking FranceIn the Spotlight Appealing her four-year conviction for embezzlement, the Rassemblement National leader faces an uncertain political future, whatever the result
-
The doctors’ strikesThe Explainer Resident doctors working for NHS England are currently voting on whether to go out on strike again this year
-
Syria’s Islamic State problemIn The Spotlight Fragile security in prison camps leads to escape of IS fighters
-
Panama and Canada are negotiating over a crucial copper mineIn the Spotlight Panama is set to make a final decision on the mine this summer
-
Why Greenland’s natural resources are nearly impossible to mineThe Explainer The country’s natural landscape makes the task extremely difficult
-
Iran cuts internet as protests escalateSpeed Reada Government buildings across the country have been set on fire
-
US nabs ‘shadow’ tanker claimed by RussiaSpeed Read The ship was one of two vessels seized by the US military
-
How Bulgaria’s government fell amid mass protestsThe Explainer The country’s prime minister resigned as part of the fallout
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
