US vetoes UN resolution on foreign terrorists, citing lack of repatriation language
The United States said the Security Council resolution did not mention the need to send Islamic fighters to their home countries. US-backed forces detain thousands of them in Syria.
The United States vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution related to foreign Islamic State (IS) fighters on Monday, saying it did not address the need to repatriate the fighters to their home countries. Repatriation of IS members is a contentious issue, including in northeast Syria where US-backed forces are detaining tens of thousands of them.
The draft resolution aimed to move along efforts to “prosecute, rehabilitate and reintegrate foreign terrorist fighters” and was put forward by Indonesia. It also sought to clarify that women associated with terrorists may have had different roles in such organizations, including as supporters and fighters themselves, according to a UN press release.
The vote failed when the United States, which has veto power as a permanent member of the Security Council, vetoed the resolution. The other 14 members of the council voted in favor, according to the UN.
The resolution did not mention repatriating terrorists, according to US Ambassador to the UN Kelly Craft.
