European IS fighters traded back to terror group: report

Western-backed forces in Syria have released Europeans captured allegedly fighting for the Islamic State group back to the terror group under secret deals, according to a Daily Telegraph report on Friday.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - a Kurdish-Arab alliance supported by the US - returned fighters including French and German citizens in several agreed exchanges so far this year.

In return, IS has returned an equal number of Kurdish prisoners.

The SDF has captured numerous foreign IS members in recent months in Syria, particularly since it captured the northern city of Raqqa from the militants late last year.

But it has complained that Western countries are refusing to take responsibility for the fighters, and that it does not have the capacity to hold them indefinitely.

The Kurdish coalition struck three agreements with IS to exchange militants and their families with its own captured  fighters, the Telegraph said, citing people with knowledge of the negotiations and relatives of those detained.

The first trade was made in February involving around 200 mostly Chechen and Arab fighters, but also a number of French and at least one German, it added.

They were sent by bus from SDF-run detention centres to areas still held by IS in eastern Syria.

In April, another 15 fighters and 40 women and children, including Moroccans, as well as French, Belgians and Dutch, were also exchanged.

A final swap comprising wives of IS militants then occurred earlier this month. 

However four of the 15 mediators involved were later assassinated, causing the remaining negotiators to pull out of further talks, according to the report.

The SDF are believed to be holding three British prisoners in their territory but they are not believed to have been involved in the exchanges.

The Foreign Office in London declined to comment.