No. No.130 [] October[Date] 2020 From bad to worse: The fate of European foreign fighters and families detained in Syria, one year after the Turkish offensive Thomas Renard and Rik Coolsaet Hundreds of European “foreign fighters” are still being held by Kurdish authorities, in Syria. Their fate remains uncertain, as European governments are unwilling to repatriate their citizens. Meanwhile, security and humanitarian conditions in the camps and detention facilities have significantly deteriorated over the past year, a trend further exacerbated by the COVID19 pandemic. This policy brief offers a summary of the main developments regarding Europeans detained in Syria, since the Turkish military offensive of October 2019. It offers a new compilation of figures for European adults and children detained, escaped or deported over the past year, before discussing the main policy options considered among European governments. On 9 October 2019, the Turkish armed forces launched a military offensive in Northern Syria, following a partial withdrawal of the US military forces in the region. The “Operation Peace Spring” intended to create a “buffer zone” between the Turkey-Syria border and the area controlled by the Kurdish autonomous administration. After days of clashes between the Turkish and Kurdish forces, a status quo settled in following mediation efforts by the US and Russia. (IN)SECURITY IN ISIS PRISONS Many governments, notably in Europe, were particularly concerned that the Turkish offensive would further destabilise the region and undermine the efforts of the global coalition against ISIS, and that it would potentially facilitate the resurgence of jihadi groups still active in Idlib province.1 Furthermore, European governments feared that the incursion could result in a massive jailbreak of thousands of ISIS fighters detained by Kurdish forces in the area.2 These fears were quickly confirmed. About 750 foreign ISIS-linked women and children were allowed to leave from the Kurdish camp of Ain Issa on 13 October, amidst reported shelling of the camp and riots against the guards.3 This group EGMONT Royal Institute for International Relations