Shamima Begum could be freed from detention in just days as Kurdish forces holding her and thousands of Isis terrorists come under attack in Syria.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Force (SDF) running the detention camps has been bombarded by Turkish airstrikes and ground assaults from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the new Syrian government, in the past 24 hours.
British filmmaker Andrew Drury, who has visited Begum six times, said she is "the closest she has ever been to getting out" after the Assad regime was toppled by Turkish-backed forces last month.
While a Kurdish-Syrian former guard warned that as Turkey's force close in on the prison camps, authorities could release the prisoners inside - including the British Isis bride.
He told the Express: "If they feel they can't defend the camps because they need to defend their homes and loved ones, they will open the gates of hell."
Begum is currently held in al-Roj camp alongside around 20 British women and 40 children, as well as thousands of other Islamic State female detainees.
The camp, described as a filthy, brutal temporary tent city, lies just a few miles from recent Turkish bombing in the town of Derik.
Her Dutch husband Yago Riedijk is detained at al-Hawl camp, 90 miles south, with thousands of male former jihadists.
Drury warned: "When the HTS get there they will just let these men walk free back into society and we'll have no idea where they are going."
MORE ON SHAMIMA BEGUM:
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 37 people died in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and the SDF on Tuesday.
Turkish airstrikes have reportedly hit the Rojava region, where Begum is held, killing at least 12 people.
Begum, now 25, has been held in Syria since 2019 after being captured following the fall of the Isis-controlled town Baghuz.
She had her British citizenship revoked on national security grounds by ex-Home Secretary Sajid Javid after speaking out in support of terrorism.
But yesterday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy firmly rejected any possibility of her return to Britain.
"Shamima Begum will not be coming back to the UK," he told Good Morning Britain. "It's gone right through the courts. She's not a UK national."
That came after Sebastian Gorka, Donald Trump's incoming counter-terror chief, denied previous reports he would push US allies to take back Isis prisoners.
"I will not tell Prime Minister Starmer, or any other of America's allies what they should or should not do with their own citizens," he told the Express.
Meanwhile, outgoing US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that as many as 10,000 Isis fighters remain in Syrian detention camps - at least 2,000 of whom are considered "very dangerous".
Find Out More...
The Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Force (SDF) running the detention camps has been bombarded by Turkish airstrikes and ground assaults from Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the new Syrian government, in the past 24 hours.
British filmmaker Andrew Drury, who has visited Begum six times, said she is "the closest she has ever been to getting out" after the Assad regime was toppled by Turkish-backed forces last month.
While a Kurdish-Syrian former guard warned that as Turkey's force close in on the prison camps, authorities could release the prisoners inside - including the British Isis bride.
He told the Express: "If they feel they can't defend the camps because they need to defend their homes and loved ones, they will open the gates of hell."
Begum is currently held in al-Roj camp alongside around 20 British women and 40 children, as well as thousands of other Islamic State female detainees.
The camp, described as a filthy, brutal temporary tent city, lies just a few miles from recent Turkish bombing in the town of Derik.
Her Dutch husband Yago Riedijk is detained at al-Hawl camp, 90 miles south, with thousands of male former jihadists.
Drury warned: "When the HTS get there they will just let these men walk free back into society and we'll have no idea where they are going."
MORE ON SHAMIMA BEGUM:
- Around 100 extremists could enter Britain with their children if Shamima Begum is allowed to return: 'It would open the floodgates'
- Shamima Begum's hopes of UK return 'bolstered' by fall of Assad
- Shamima Begum's lawyer fined after making false antisemitic claims on TV
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 37 people died in fighting between Turkish-backed forces and the SDF on Tuesday.
Turkish airstrikes have reportedly hit the Rojava region, where Begum is held, killing at least 12 people.
Begum, now 25, has been held in Syria since 2019 after being captured following the fall of the Isis-controlled town Baghuz.
She had her British citizenship revoked on national security grounds by ex-Home Secretary Sajid Javid after speaking out in support of terrorism.
But yesterday, Foreign Secretary David Lammy firmly rejected any possibility of her return to Britain.
"Shamima Begum will not be coming back to the UK," he told Good Morning Britain. "It's gone right through the courts. She's not a UK national."
That came after Sebastian Gorka, Donald Trump's incoming counter-terror chief, denied previous reports he would push US allies to take back Isis prisoners.
"I will not tell Prime Minister Starmer, or any other of America's allies what they should or should not do with their own citizens," he told the Express.
Meanwhile, outgoing US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned that as many as 10,000 Isis fighters remain in Syrian detention camps - at least 2,000 of whom are considered "very dangerous".
Find Out More...