Europe mixed on Trump push to repatriate Daesh fighters

BRUSSELS (AA): European states voiced concern on Monday on how to bring Daesh militants to trial after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded they take back and prosecute hundreds of foreign Daesh terrorists captured in Syria.

“The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial,” Trump tweeted late Saturday.

German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas told a press conference Trump’s demand would be “difficult to implement.”

“It is certainly not as easy as they think in America,” Maas said, adding that the former Daesh members could only be allowed into the country if it could be ensured that they were taken into custody immediately.

Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn asserted that a logical solution could only be reached through discussion.

“We should not send a tweet randomly,” Asselborn said in a statement.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto described the issue as “one of the greatest challenges.”

“Our major endeavor now should be not to allow them to come back to Europe,” he said.

In December, Trump made a surprise announcement that the U.S. would be withdrawing all troops from Syria, saying that Daesh had been defeated in the country.

Since then, no troops have been withdrawn, but last month the Pentagon confirmed additional troops were being sent to protect American forces and equipment as they prepare to leave.