Asian AngleWhat do Asia’s returning Isis fighters do next? You’re about to find out

Nearly one year after the fall of Baghouz, the last remaining stronghold in the territorial caliphate of Islamic State (Isis), there is still widespread uncertainty about the fate of hundreds of foreign fighters from Southeast Asia.

More than 1,000 people from the Philippines, Indonesia and Malaysia travelled abroad to fight with Isis and other militant groups, and dozens have already returned home. Around 700 Indonesians and 65 Malaysians are held in Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) prisons or camps in northern Syria. If the SDF loses control of the camps and prisons as a result of growing instability, especially stemming from conflict with Turkey, the militants could escape. In October last year, around 50 Isis-linked fighters from Indonesia escaped SDF custody.

Returning fighters could potentially access militant networks in Southeast Asia. Some regional jihadist groups have pledged allegiance to Isis, including Jamaah Ansharut Daulah in Indonesia, and both the Maute Group and the Basilan faction of the Abu Sayyaf Group in the Philippines. Indonesian fighters have reportedly travelled from Syria and Iraq to join Isis-Khorasan in Afghanistan.