Image copyright SDF Image caption Warren Christopher Clark (left) and Zaid Abed al-Hamid

Two American men fighting for the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria have been captured, according to a US-backed Syrian militia alliance.

The Syrian Democratic Forces said on Sunday they had captured Warren Christopher Clark from Houston, Texas, and Zaid Abed al-Hamid during fighting.

According to the alliance, the men were caught planning a terrorist attack on fleeing Syrian civilians.

They were arrested along with suspected fighters from Ireland and Pakistan.

Pentagon spokesman Sean Robertson told US media: "We are aware of open source reports of reportedly American citizens currently in custody who were believed to be fighting for Isis.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Is this the Islamic State group's last stand in Syria?

"However, we are unable to confirm this information at this time."

US officials have previously estimated that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have more than 700 foreign fighters in custody coming from around 40 different nations.

The men were arrested along with two Pakistanis and one Irishman in an operation to clear a region of northern Syria of remaining IS fighters, says the SDF.

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According to Seamus Hughes from George Washington University's Program on Extremism, Mr Clark had submitted a CV and cover letter to IS asking "to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State".

According to the New York Times, he graduated from the University of Houston, before moving to Saudi Arabia and Turkey to teach English.

His father, Warren Clark, told the newspaper: "My son would not be involved in anything along those lines."

According to Mr Clark's resume, he taught English as a Second Language as a substitute teacher for the Fort Bend Independent School District between January 2009 and November 2011.

The SDF did not say where in the US Mr Hamid comes from, but according to extremism researchers he may originally be from Trinidad.

Simon Cottee, who is writing a book about Trinidadian IS fighters, told the New York Times that Mr Hamid's name appears on a database of 130 men from the Caribbean island nation who are believed to have joined the group.

In an IS propaganda video from 2015, a man believed to be Mr Hamid talks about his conversion to Islam and his difficulties practising his faith in his homeland.

"Even though I had a very comfortable life in Trinidad, there was something that's telling me, you know, that I don't belong in this place," he says.</s>A suspected Islamic State terrorist captured in Syria was radicalised in Ireland by a Jordanian man who gardaí believe recruited at least five other people to fight in the Middle East.

Alexandr Ruzmatovich Bekmirzaev (45), who is originally from Minsk in Belarus, came to Ireland in the early 2000s and obtained Irish citizenship and an Irish passport.

He worked in retail and as a security guard in Dublin during his time here, sources said, and was on a Garda watch list prior to his leaving the State.

Officers from the Special Detective Unit (SDU) began watching Bekmirzaev after he was observed associating with known Islamic extremists including a Jordanian man who was later described in court as Ireland’s “foremost organiser and facilitator of travel by extremists prepared to undertake violent action”.

Gardaí also received information from foreign intelligence agencies about Bekmirzaev’s sympathies for Islamic State.

The Jordanian man, who cannot be named due to a court order, was deported from Ireland to his native country in 2016. The State alleged in the High Court that he was the “main recruiter” for Islamic State in Ireland.

The SDU believed the Jordanian had recruited “a significant number of people” to the Islamic State cause and had helped at least five, mostly young men, to travel to Syria and Iraq to fight for the terrorist group, sources said.

In an appeal against his deportation, the man denied that he consulted with violent extremist leaders outside Ireland, represented a threat to national security or had recruited for Islamic extremist groups.

Bekmirzaev came to Ireland in the early 2000s and married a non-Irish national while living in Dublin. The couple had a child, who is an Irish citizen. The wife, who is not from the Middle East, and the child left Ireland soon after Bekmirzaev in 2013.

In 2011, while living at an address in Dublin’s north inner city, Bekmirzaev registered a business name for a grocery shop on Talbot Street. The shop is no longer in business and other traders on the street had no memory of it or of Bekmirzaev.

He became a naturalised citizen in February 2010 after applying for a certificate of naturalisation.

While he was in the State, Bekmirzaev was put on a watch list and monitored by members of the SDU due to his associations with Islamic extremists.

A Garda spokesman said that it was after he had been naturalised that Bekmirzaev came to their attention.

It is unclear if Bekmirzaev can be stripped of his Irish citizenship if the allegations against him are proven. Patricia Brazil, a barrister specialising in immigration law, suggested it was unlikely under the current legislation.

The Minister has the right to revoke a certificate of naturalisation in certain narrow circumstances including if it was obtained through fraud or if the person lied about “being of good character” when applying, Ms Brazil said.

Revocation of citizenship is extremely rare. Between 2002 and 2012, no one had their certificate revoked.

However, the State recently applied to revoke the citizenship of several people for lying on their application forms. One of those revocations is currently being challenged in the High Court.

Ms Brazil said the issue was likely to come under the spotlight in Ireland given the Bekmirzaev case. Several other western countries, including the UK, have introduced laws allowing the government to revoke citizenship for naturalised immigrants if they engage in terrorism.

“But for the moment we’re following the trend rather than being ahead of it. Our law isn’t at all as strict as other EU countries,” she added.

In 2013, Bekmirzaev left for the Middle East on his own where it is understood he joined a group linked to Islamic State, also known as Isis. He made his way to Syria, where he fought in the civil war there which has to date claimed almost 400,000 lives.

On December 30th last he was captured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a US-backed militia fighting the remnants of Islamic State.

The Department of Justice has previously estimated that about 50 Irish citizens have travelled to Syria to fight in its civil war, many of them for extremist groups such as Islamic State. At least three have been killed in the fighting.

In a statement, the SDF said Islamic State terrorists had attempted several attacks on its forces recently.

“In this context, a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone in masses was detected.

“Following long-term technical and physical follow-up, an operation against the cell was carried out by our forces. As a result of the operation, five terrorists originally from the United States, Ireland and Pakistan were captured.”</s>(UPI) — Two U.S. citizens captured in Syria are suspected of fighting for the Islamic State, the Syrian Democratic Forces said.

Warren Christopher Clark and Abed al-Hamid were captured by the U.S.-backed SDF, officials said Sunday. Clark is from the Houston area and once worked as a substitute teacher in the Fort Bend school district in Sugar Land, Texas. Officials said in 2015, he sent a resume and cover letter to the Islamic State seeking a job teaching English in Syria.

“We are aware of open source reports of reportedly American citizens currently in custody who were believed to be fighting for ISIS,” Cmdr. Sean Robertson said. “However, we are unable to confirm this information at this time.”

Warren Clark said his son is “a humanitarian” who “would not be involved in anything along those lines.”

“My son doesn’t have an evil thought in his mind about hurting anyone,” he said.

U.S. officials encourage countries to repatriate citizens caught fighting for the Islamic State to relieve the SDF’s overcrowded detention facilities. Many countries are reluctant to do so because it’s difficult to find hard evidence of their activities on the battlefield.

No origin was listed for al-Hamid, though according to one database he could be from Trinidad. He could also have dual citizenship. In a video posted online, he talks about not being able to practice his Muslim faith in Trinidad.

Clark and al-Hamid were captured with Islamic fighters from Pakistan and Ireland, SDF officials said. If they are extradited to the United States, they would be the 15th and 16th Americans to return from joining the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Clark’s resume seems to indicate he was drawn to the Islamic State by the promise of a Muslim-only state.

President Donald Trump announced last month the Islamic State has been defeated in Syria and U.S. troops will begin a full withdrawal. National Security Adviser John Bolton said the planned withdrawal is contingent upon reaching an agreement with Turkey not to attack Syrian Kurdish forces.

“It’s going to be a different environment after we leave, there is no question about that,” Bolton said. “But there is no desire to see Iran’s influence spread that’s for sure.”</s>A 45-year-old Dublin man has been arrested by Syrian Democratic Forces fighting ISIS in Syria.

He was one of five men detained, when patrols targeted a terror cell at Deir ez-Zor, on December 30.

The Kurdish backed Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF say it made the arrests after breaking up a terror ring that was preparing to attack civilians fleeing the war zone in masses.

The US supported militia says it detained five men, including one from Ireland, two from America and two from Pakistan.

The Irish passport holder is a 45-year-old man, who previously lived and worked as a security guard in Dublin.

The raid was carried out at Deir ez-Zor - the largest city in eastern Syria and the seventh largest in the country.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the arrests and the identity of the passport holder.

GardaÃ­ say the identity may be that of a naturalised Irish citizen who departed Ireland in 2013 and they are continuing to monitor developments.

The Taoiseach says he is aware of the reports and speaking during his visit to Mali in West Africa, Leo Varadkar said he is being kept informed of the situation.

"I've only heard about that in the last short while. The only information we have is that is that an Irish passport holder, an Irish citizen, has been taken into custody - is being held in Syria," said Mr Varadkar.

"We don't know the details of that so I can't comment on it in any detail.

"But what I will say is any Irish citizen around the world is entitled to consular assistance and we will get that."

In its statement, the SDF said: "The operation Jazeera Storm, carried out with the aim of liberating the last regions under the occupation of ISIS, continues steadily towards clearing the last bastions of the group.

"ISIS, which is now cornered in a small area after being cleared from large swathes of territory it once held, is suffering heavy losses due to operations of our forces.

"Recently, in order to prevent the advance of our forces, terrorists have attempted to carry out attacks several times.

"In this context, a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone in masses was detected.

"Following long-term technical and physical follow-up, an operation against the cell was carried out by our forces.

"As a result of the operation, five terrorists originally from the United States, Ireland and Pakistan were captured."</s>The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured two Americans in Syria who are suspected of being ISIS fighters, the militia said in press release Sunday.

The militia identified the men as Warren Christopher Clark (Abu Mohammad al-Ameriki) and Zaid Abed al-Hamid (Abu Zaid al-Ameriki).

The SDF said Clark is originally from Houston, but it gave no specific location in the United States for the other man’s origin.

The Americans were captured in a group that also contained fighters from Ireland and Pakistan, SDF said.

A Pentagon spokesman said the incident is under investigation.

“We are aware of open source reports of reportedly American citizens currently in custody who were believed to be fighting for ISIS. However, we are unable to confirm this information at this time,” Commander Sean Robertson said.

The White House announced last month that ISIS had been defeated in Syria and the United States would withdraw 2,000 troops from the war-stricken nation.

In October, the US military released another American citizen suspected of being a member of ISIS who was captured in Syria.

The dual US-Saudi national was held by the US military in Iraq without being tried since September 2017. His fate was the subject of a months-long legal battle between the US government and the American Civil Liberties Union.

When he was released, CNN reported that SDF has more than 700 foreign terrorist fighters in custody from some 40 countries.

US officials have encouraged countries to repatriate their citizens in detention in Syria in order to ease the burden on the SDF’s detention facilities. But many countries are reluctant to do so because of the difficulty of prosecuting suspected ISIS members based on evidence collected on the battlefield.</s>Two Americans among foreign militants captured by Syrian Kurds

BEIRUT: The Kurdish-led force battling the remnants of the Islamic State group in eastern Syria said Monday it captured five foreign jihadists, including two US citizens.

The two Americans, two Pakistanis and an Irishman were part of a cell planning an attack on civilians fleeing the jihadist group’s last bastion, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said.The SDF has spearheaded the battle against IS in eastern Syria and is close to flushing out the jihadists from their last pocket near the Iraqi border. The force, which receives key support in the air and on the ground from the US military, said in a statement that the jihadists were captured on December 30.

The SDF said its forces detected "a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone". "An operation against the cell was carried out by our forces," it said.

It published mugshots of the five foreign fighters and provided the following names: Warren Christopher Clark, USA; Alexandr Ruzmatovich Bekmirzaev, Ireland; Zaid Abed al-Hamid, USA; Fadel al-Rahman, Pakistan; Abed al-Azem Rajhoud, Pakistan.The Kurds in northeastern Syria say they hold around 1,000 foreign jihadist fighters, as well as 550 foreign women and 1,200 children who lived with them.

They are from dozens of different nationalities and include a significant contingent from France, the main US partner in the coalition assisting Kurdish forces. The numbers of US jihadists held by the Kurds are believed to be small.</s>WASHINGTON (AP) — What to do with hundreds of foreign Islamic State fighters captured in Syria has become a critical and growing problem for the Trump administration as it prepares to pull troops out of the country.

A senior administration official said Tuesday that resolving the fate of these prisoners is a top priority as the government lays the groundwork with allies to comply with US President Donald Trump’s December 19 order to withdraw the 2,000 American troops from Syria, where they have been working alongside the US-backed Syrian Defense Forces to fight the Islamic State group since 2015.

But there are no easy answers. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said releasing the fighters, among them Europeans and some US citizens, would be “unacceptable” since they could simply rejoin the remnants of Islamic State fighters in Syria or elsewhere.

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“This matters because SDF holds hundreds of IS fighters, including many European citizens, and they might go free if no solution is found,” said Bobby Chesney, a national security law expert at the University of Texas.

European nations have been reluctant to take back citizens with ties to the Islamic State, not wanting the legal challenge of prosecuting them or the potential security risk if they are released.

And moving former fighters to the United States poses some of the same challenges the US has faced with men detained at the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, including whether it’s feasible to prosecute militants captured on the battlefields of northern Syria, according to experts.

“It’s one thing for the government to be very confident that an individual joined or tried to join ISIS. And sometimes it’s still another thing for the government to be able to mount confidently a criminal prosecution against that individual,” said Joshua Geltzer, a senior counterterrorism official under President Barack Obama.

Meanwhile, the prisoner problem is only growing worse.

On Sunday, the Syrian Defense Forces announced the capture of five fighters, including two US citizens, one of whom has been identified as a former school teacher from Houston.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo just began a tour of eight Middle Eastern nations to discuss the withdrawal of the American troops. National security adviser John Bolton returned Tuesday from a meeting in Turkey, where he was seeking a guarantee of safety for the Kurdish fighters who have fought alongside US troops against the Islamic State.

There are fears that the US withdrawal will leave a door open for Turkey to assault the US-allied SDF fighters. Turkey views them as part of a terrorist group linked to an insurgency within its own borders. SDF commanders have warned that they will be unable to hold the 700 prisoners if Turkish forces invade Syria following a US withdrawal.

Administration officials so far do not have a plan for what to do with the prisoners, according to a separate US official, who said that few countries have been willing to accept any of their captured citizens. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to disclose the information publicly.

In a recent case of an American suspected of IS membership, US officials wrestled for more than a year, never charged him and then ultimately released him in Bahrain.

The problem has been further complicated by conflicting reports of Trump’s timeline for recalling the 2,000 US troops from Syria. When he made his surprise announcement of the withdrawal three weeks ago, Trump said he wanted to complete it quickly. His abrupt decision led to the resignations of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Brett McGurk, special presidential envoy for the global coalition to defeat IS.

More recently, Trump and other administration officials have insisted they favor an orderly pullout. The senior administration official said the US will defeat remaining IS fighters on the way out to prevent a resurgence and that the U.S. will oppose any mistreatment of opposition forces, such as the SDF, that fought with the United States against IS.

“These questions are hard enough, if you know the timeline on which you’re making them — if you know what the US involvement will or won’t be over that timeline,” Geltzer said.

One of the foreign fighters recently captured is Warren Christopher Clark, a former substitute schoolteacher from Houston, Texas, who was first identified by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. Researchers spent months investigating to confirm his identity through multiple sources. The program has identified more than 73 Americans, by their legal names, who are known to have joined jihadist groups.

“Clark is one of several dozen Americans to join the Islamic State out of the around 295 whom intelligence officials claim have traveled or attempted to travel to Syria and Iraq to join the terrorist group,” according to Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the Program on Extremism.

Clark was captured along with four other foreign jihadists — two from Pakistan, one from Ireland and a fourth man, Zaid Abed al-Hamid, who also is believed to be from the United States, although that has not been confirmed.

In a letter to IS that was obtained by the researchers, Clark submitted a resume noting that he had a bachelor’s degree from the University of Houston, had worked as a substitute teacher at the Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas, and had done teaching stints in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

“Dear Director, I am looking to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State,” he wrote to the group in an accompanying cover letter. “Teaching has given me the opportunity to work with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and learning capabilities.”</s>A 34-year-old man from Houston who is said to have sent a CV and cover letter seeking a job with Islamic State has been seized on a battlefield in Syria, according to a US-backed militia fighting the terror group.

“Dear Director, I am looking to get a position teaching English to students in the Islamic State,” the Texan, Warren Christopher Clark, is said to have written in a letter found in an Iraqi house once occupied by the militants.

He was detained in the same operation that involved the arrest of a 45-year-old Irish citizen.

Clark once worked as a substitute teacher in the Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas. “I believe that a successful teacher can understand a student’s strengths and weaknesses,” he wrote, “and is able to use that understanding to help students build on their understanding of the English language.”

A University of Houston graduate, Clark moved to Saudi Arabia to teach English and then taught English for three months in Turkey, according to documents recovered in a house in Mosul, Iraq.

Clark’s CV ends in June 2015, indicating that he probably joined Islamic State, also known as Isis, after that. His father, Warren Clark (69), described his son as “a humanitarian” and rejected any suggestion that he would throw in his lot with a group like Islamic State.

“My son would not be involved in anything along those lines,” he said. Clark said he had learned of his son’s letter to the terrorist group “on the news, basically”. He said his son “doesn’t have an evil thought in his mind about hurting anyone”.

The militia that announced Clark’s capture, the Syrian Democratic Forces, said he had been seized along with a man they described as another American, Zaid Abed al-Hamid. The militia said it had also detained other foreign fighters, including citizens of Ireland and Pakistan.

The men were taken during an operation targeting Islamic State’s last pocket of control in northern Syria, according to a statement issued by the Syrian Democratic Forces, the Kurdish-led and US-supported militia that is fighting to take back territory from the militants.

Only four other Americans are known to have been captured on the battlefield in Iraq and Syria, according to a database maintained by George Washington University’s Program on Extremism. Very few Americans have returned to the United States after joining the terrorist group.

If Clark and al-Hamid, whose surname was also spelled al-Hamed, are extradited to the United States, they would be only the 15th and 16th American adults to return from joining the Islamic State group in Iraq and Syria.

“The number is minuscule,” said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of the program at George Washington. “To put it in context, the Brits are talking about hundreds of returnees.”

Clark’s letter and accompanying CV, which were authenticated by Hughes, point to his naivety and suggest that he was drawn to the Islamic State’s promise of building a Muslim-only state. Little is known about the American said to be captured alongside Clark, beyond his age, 35.

The Syrian Democratic Forces did not say what state he was from, describing him only as “originally from the United States”. There were indications, however, that al-Hamid might not really be American. His name appears in a database of 130 Trinidadians who joined Islamic State that is maintained by Simon Cottee, a senior lecturer in criminology at the University of Kent who tracks the group. Cottee is working on a book about Islamic State group fighters from the Caribbean nation.

Hamid has been identified as an extremist since at least 2011, when he was detained in Trinidad as part of an alleged plot to kill the country’s prime minister. According to Cottee’s database, al-Hamid joined the terrorist group on April 6th, 2014, along with his wife and his three children.

A much plumper al-Hamid appears in an Islamic State group video, sitting by a languid stream, railing about how his family could not practise their faith in Trinidad.

Cottee said he had shared the mug shot published by the Kurdish militia with people who knew al-Hamid in Trinidad, and that they had confirmed his identity. But he did not rule out that the possibility that al-Hamid was a dual citizen.

A similarly spelled name – Zaid Abdul-Hamid – appears in a cache of Islamic State group registration forms indicating that he provided a reference for a recruit from Trinidad and Tobago when that recruit joined the group in 2014. The form indicates that Abdul-Hamid was in Raqqa, Syria, at that time.

Col Scott Rawlinson, a spokesman for the US-led military coalition in Baghdad, said in an email that the coalition was “aware of open-source reports of reportedly American citizens currently in custody believed to be fighting for Isis”.

“However, we are unable to confirm this information at this time,” he said. “The incident is under investigation.”

Last month, US president Donald Trump’s announcement that the United States would withdraw forces stationed in Syria prompted the resignation of his defence secretary and accelerated the resignation of the White House’s senior envoy to the fight against the Islamic State. Both defence secretary Jim Mattis and the envoy, Brett McGurk, said the unexpected withdrawal amounted to abandoning America’s allies in the region, especially the Syrian Democratic Forces.

In recent days, White House officials have softened Mr Trump’s stance, saying that the withdrawal will not happen right away and that it will be carried out in a co-ordinated manner. On Sunday, the president’s national security adviser, John Bolton, appeared to reverse course, telling reporters in Jerusalem that the pullout was conditional on defeating the last remnants of the Islamic State group and on Turkey’s ensuring the safety of America’s Kurdish allies.

According to three separate reports, including an assessment by the Pentagon’s inspector general, Islamic State still maintains a force of 20,000 to 30,000 members in Iraq and Syria. The last time the group was declared defeated was in 2010, when the CIA estimated that it was down to just 700 fighters. – New York Times</s>Two Americans who had joined ISIS in Syria were captured Sunday by U.S.-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) near the Hajin pocket, one of the remaining areas under the terror group’s control in Deir ez-Zor governate in eastern Syria. Two Pakistanis and one Irishman were also captured.

Among those being held by the SDF is University of Houston graduate Warren Christoper Clark, who was profiled by NBC News last February.

The operation Jazeera Storm, carried out with the aim of liberating the last regions under the occupation of ISIS, continues steadily towards clearing the last bastions of the group. ISIS, which is now cornered in a small area after being cleared from large swathes of territory it once held, is suffering heavy losses due to operations of our forces. Recently, in order to prevent the advance of our forces, terrorists have attempted to carry out attacks several times. In this context, a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone in masses was detected. Following long-term technical and physical follow-up, an operation against the cell was carried out by our forces. As a result of the operation, 5 terrorists originally from the United States, Ireland and Pakistan were captured.



 The 34-year-old Clark and 35-year-old Zaid Abed al-Hamid were identified as the captured Americans. Where al-Hamid is from has not yet been reported.</s>Update 11am: The Taoiseach has said that a man captured in Syria by militants fighting Isis is entitled to consular assistance from the state.

Speaking from Mali on Monday, where he is visiting Irish Defence Forces, Leo Varadkar, said: “I’ve only heard about that in the last short while.

“The information we have is that an Irish citizen has been taken into custody in Syria.

“We don’t know the details of that so I can’t comment on it in any detail but what I can say is that any Irish citizen around the world is entitled to consular assistance and will get that.”

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman said it was looking into the matter but had not received any requests for consular assistance.

It is understood the man is 45 and had lived in Dublin but left the country in 2013.

He is believed to be among five jihadists captured in Syria for fighting for Islamic State.

The US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces claimed they arrested the militants in the east of the country.

A spokesman for the group said they included two US citizens and two Pakistanis.

“The operation Jazeera Storm, carried out with the aim of liberating the last regions under the occupation of Isis, continues steadily towards clearing the last bastions of the group,” a statement said.

“Recently, in order to prevent the advance of our forces, terrorists have attempted to carry out attacks several times.

“In this context, a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone in masses was detected.”

A spokeswoman for the Gardaí said the force was aware of the report.

“The individual may be identical to a naturalised Irish citizen who, it is understood, departed Ireland in 2013.

Update 8.19am: 'Matter for concern' that man captured in Syria obtained Irish citizenship

Security and anti-terrorism expert Declan Power says it is a matter of concern that a man with Irish citizenship captured in Syria had obtained citizenship despite coming to the attention of the Garda Siochana's crime and security branches apparently based on reports from external partner agencies.

“We can't be complacent about the reach of extremism into this State from other locations. It's a wake-up call for us not to be complacent.”

The man, who is 45 years of age and originally from Belarus, is the holder of an Irish passport having lived and worked in this country for a number of years. In 2013, he left with his family to go to the Middle East.

It was reported yesterday that the Irish citizen had been arrested by Syrian Democratic Forces fighting ISIS in Syria.

He was one of five men detained, when patrols targeted a terror cell at Deir ez-Zor, on December 30.

Gardaí said the man was known to them in the context of the monitoring of individuals sympathetic to radical causes.

Mr Power, a defence analyst and former member of the Irish army, told RTE’s Morning Ireland that it's not surprising that foreign fighters are being "shook out of the sack" in the mop-up operations taking place in Syria.

“It behoves us to look a bit more closely at how somebody was able to obtain citizenship if they were under suspicion of activities that would be damaging to this State and our partner States.

“We shouldn't be entirely surprised that an Irish citizen has been found. It's not that long ago since the death of Terence Kelly who was born and raised in Ireland who had gone off to throw in his lot with Islamic State.

"If this individual managed to obtain citizenship and yet seemed to have been engaged in activities outside of the State before he came here, it raises questions that are worth asking because this kind of thing is not going to die off just because Islamic State, one iteration of extremism, is dying out, but extremism isn't dead and gone with the death of Islamic State.

“I have no doubt that the authorities here work very hard and know what is happening in our back yard, they also work very closely with agencies abroad.

"But with regards to checking individuals who haven't come to anyone's attention initially or coming from nation states that have broken down, there's no opposite number that somebody in an Garda Siochana can liaise with regard to that - we should take that into consideration.

"Most people have spent a few years living and contributing to the State before they gain citizenship.”

Mr Power said he was curious about background of this citizen, “people like this usually fit a pattern, I doubt he was radicalised in Ireland, if that's the case, how did he actually end up here?

“I'm sure he was living a blameless life in Ireland, but that's not the point, the point is the activities he was engaged in and the organisations he was attached to, which led to him fighting in Syria.

A 45-year-old Dublin man has been arrested by Syrian Democratic Forces fighting ISIS in Syria.

He was one of five men detained, when patrols targeted a terror cell at Deir ez-Zor, on December 30.

The Kurdish backed Syrian Democratic Forces or SDF say it made the arrests after breaking up a terror ring that was preparing to attack civilians fleeing the war zone in masses.

The US supported militia says it detained five men, including one from Ireland, two from America and two from Pakistan.

The Irish passport holder is a 45-year-old man, who previously lived and worked as a security guard in Dublin.

The raid was carried out at Deir ez-Zor - the largest city in eastern Syria and the seventh largest in the country.

The Department of Foreign Affairs says it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the arrests and the identity of the passport holder.

Gardaí say the identity may be that of a naturalised Irish citizen who departed Ireland in 2013 and they are continuing to monitor developments.

The Taoiseach says he is aware of the reports and speaking during his visit to Mali in West Africa, Leo Varadkar said he is being kept informed of the situation.

"I've only heard about that in the last short while. The only information we have is that is that an Irish passport holder, an Irish citizen, has been taken into custody - is being held in Syria," said Mr Varadkar.

"We don't know the details of that so I can't comment on it in any detail.

"But what I will say is any Irish citizen around the world is entitled to consular assistance and we will get that."

In its statement, the SDF said: "The operation Jazeera Storm, carried out with the aim of liberating the last regions under the occupation of ISIS, continues steadily towards clearing the last bastions of the group.

"ISIS, which is now cornered in a small area after being cleared from large swathes of territory it once held, is suffering heavy losses due to operations of our forces.

"Recently, in order to prevent the advance of our forces, terrorists have attempted to carry out attacks several times.

"In this context, a group of terrorists who had been preparing to attack the civilians who were trying to get out of the war zone in masses was detected.

"Following long-term technical and physical follow-up, an operation against the cell was carried out by our forces.

"As a result of the operation, five terrorists originally from the United States, Ireland and Pakistan were captured."
The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces say that they captured five foreign nationals who fought for Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Two are reportedly from the United States, two from Pakistan and one from Ireland.