Islamic State Returnees Receive Internships in Sweden

A dozen of young Swedes return home after fighting alongside the Islamic State militant group. However, police do not find them suspicious and the Orebro Municipality decides to re-integrate them into the society and grants them internships.

MOSCOW, January 20 (Sputnik) — Several Swedish citizens who have returned from fighting for Islamic State (IS) have received internships in the Orebro Municipality, Sweden, with one rejoining the jihadist group and losing his life in Iraq, Fria Tider magazine reported.

According to the media outlet's Monday report, the internships were arranged by head of Orebro's Municipal Partnership Thomas Gustafsson for alienated 18-24-year-olds, including those who had travelled to fight with the IS.

"In Autumn 2013 we found out that 12 young people from Vivalla went and fought wars. Some stayed in Turkey, others went to Syria. We talked to the police when they returned to Sweden, but there was no suspicion of crime from the young people, so we wanted to help them out," Gustafsson told the SVT television channel.

One of those who received an internship was a Somalian man in his twenties, who lost his life in Iraq after rejoining the IS ranks several weeks later. Gustafsson branded the man's return to Iraq "a failure."

Militants who have travelled to the war-torn regions to fight for groups such as the IS often return to their home countries to conduct terrorist attacks on behalf of those groups. According to last month's reports, 110 Swedes were confirmed to have travelled to join terrorist movements in Syria since 2012. Around 40 are confirmed to have returned to Sweden, with 25-30 people dying in combat.