‘UK may bar British ISIL militants’

The UK government is considering a temporary ban on the return of British-born ISIL militants wrecking havoc on Iraq and Syria, a government source says.

The source told the state-run BBC that British Prime Minister David Cameron is to set out a range of measures to counter the threat posed by the terrorist group.

The government reportedly plans to introduce new legislation to make it harder for Britons to travel to Syria and Iraq, including measures making it easier to take people’s passports away.

“We are also looking at stopping British citizens from re-entering the country if they are suspected of terrorist activity abroad,” the source said, adding that the government could previously prevent the return of foreign nationals, dual nationals or naturalized citizens.

The source confirmed that “details of the package are being finalized” and will be presented to the House of Commons on Monday.

Some Liberal Democrats, however, said a provisional ban on British citizens re-entering the country may be “illegal.” They said they would only agree to policies that were made on the basis of evidence with the liberty of Britons being considered.

At least 500 British nationals have travelled from the UK to fight in Syria and Iraq, though British ministers say they do not know the exact number.

On the advice of security experts last week, the threat level in Britain was raised from substantial to “severe”, meaning a terrorist attack is considered “highly likely” due to recent developments in Iraq and Syria

Observers have said the rise of ISIL Takfiri threat can be directly attributed to the policies of Western countries, including the UK, in the Middle East region. 

MOS/AB