Obama administration will not charge militant in the US
A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss a high-profile militant, said the transfer to Iraqi Kurdish custody “was done with the knowledge and consent of the Iraqi government in Baghdad”.
Nasrin As’ad Ibrahim, also known as Umm Sayyaf, was the wife of Abu Sayyaf, who was killed in a US special forces raid in Syria in mid-May.
The Pentagon says the wife of an Islamic State leader who was captured earlier this year in a military operation that left her husband dead, has been transferred to Iraqi custody.
Earnest cited diplomatic and legal factors as some of the considerations behind the decision not to bring Umm Sayyaf to be tried in a U.S. court.
Sayyaf has been cooperating with American authorities following her capture, U.S. officials told the Associated Press, reportedly offering a “trove” of intelligence about ISIS operations in both Iraq and Syria.
The Pentagon said that “about a dozen” Islamic State fighters had been slain in a close quarters gun battle during the raid.
Her transfer transfer suggests she will not face U.S. charges in the kidnapping and death of American hostage Kayla Mueller.
“Administration officials said they were in contact with Ms. Mueller’s family prior to releasing Umm Sayyaf”. In February, IS announced she had been killed in a Jordanian air strike.
“It is a reminder that the United States will never waver in denying safe haven to terrorists who threaten our citizens, and those of our friends and allies”, Carter said in a statement.