A U.S. citizen who defected and fought for the Islamic State in Syria has been captured by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
A military official said the American surrendered to Kurdish forces, the Daily Beast first reported. The SDF is fighting ISIS on the ground in Syria with help from the United States, and they turned over the captive to Americans authorities.
"We have seen those same reports and the SDF as our partner has taken an oath to make sure that any fighters that they capture that they maintain them and bring them to the proper authorities," Col. Ryan Dillon told reporters. "In this case the proper authorities would be the equivalent of the department of state in the country."
The military referred to the State Department to address any questions on the captive’s current situation.
"If this was a US citizen it would be the Department of State to find out the updates on that particular person," Dillon said. The State Department subsequently provided a general statement to the Daily Beast what would happen in such a situation.
"Foreign fighters who are captured or surrender to SDF partners in Syria will be safeguarded and transported humanely, and their home nations will be contacted regarding the next steps," the statement said.
Last year, Virginia man Mohamad Jamal Khweis was captured leaving ISIS territory in Northern Iraq, but defecting to join the Islamist terrorist organization is relatively rare for Americans, CNN reported.
SDF has recently encountered an increase in surrenders as a result of ISIS suffering defeats. A group of five ISIS combatants recently surrendered to SDF in addition to the American being reported.
It is unclear at this time where this new detainee is being held or transferred.
The State Department told CNN it is aware of the reports, while the Justice Department and FBI declined to comment. State officials added they "have no information to share at this time."