U.S. woman repatriated from NE Syria faces charges of training with ISIS
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – An American woman repatriated from Northeast Syria to the U.S. faces criminal offenses for training with the Islamic State group (ISIS) , court documents revealed on Tuesday.
Halima Salman who is in her twenties is accused of learning how to use an AK-47, which is a type of assault rifle, from ISIS while she was living in Syria.
Salman was part of the repatriation of 11 American citizens of the families of ISIS militants carried out by the U.S. from Northeast Syria.
The New York Times, citing two officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said 10 individuals were from one family consisting of a woman named Brandy Salman and her nine American-born children, ranging from about six to about 25.
One official said that Salman was arrested when the plane carrying the group landed in New York early on Tuesday.
The court documents showed that Salman was 17 years old when she arrived at Syria, and received training from ISIS when she turned 18.
In 2023, Salman told FBI agents she married an ISIS fighter but denied engagement in ISIS activities. The FBI, however, obtained information that Salman finished a military training in a female-only ISIS military battalion.
After the military defeat of ISIS in Baghuz, eastern Syria, she surrendered to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
After Baghouz, thousands of ISIS fighters were transferred to prisons and detention centers, while their families were transferred to Hawl and Roj camps in areas run by the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).