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I was just a dumb kid who made one mistake, says Shamima Begum

SHAMIMA BEGUM still remains at the al-Roj camp in northern Syria with her British citizenship stripped, and in a latest interview for a documentary says she does not need to be rehabilitated.

She said she would rather 'love' to help rehabilitate others.


During the interview with journalist Andrew Drury, she was again seen in western clothes - wearing a leather Nike baseball cap and skinny jeans. She also had her fingernails painted red and was holding on to a fashionable clutch bag.

When Begum was 15, she had left Britain along with two other Bethnal Green schoolgirls to join Daesh (Islamic State group) in 2015.

"I don't think I was a terrorist. I think I was just a dumb kid who made one mistake.

"I personally don't think that I need to be rehabilitated, but I would want to help other people be rehabilitated. I would love to help," she tells Drury who was visiting the camp for the interview.

Why has she stopped wearing hijab and traditional dresses. "I wear these clothes, and I don't wear a hijab, because it makes me happy. And anything in this camp that makes me happy is like a lifesaver," she said.

She added that she liked rapper Kanye West's music, was following news of his divorce from reality TV star Kim Kardashian and watched re-runs of Friends in the camp.

Earlier this year the Supreme Court ruled on national security grounds that she cannot return to Britain to appeal against the removal of her citizenship in 2019.

Drury, interviewing her for a film called Danger Zone, said meeting her had changed his mind about her being a terrorist.

In an earlier interview for the documentary, The Return: Life After ISIS, she had said that the UK government was wrong to remove her citizenship on the basis of radical Islam, and fearing her safety in the camp she restrained herself from condemning Daesh in her much earlier media interactions.

Begum said she and her friends were recruited by Daesh online, who preyed on their guilt at seeing muslims suffering in Syria.

“It was the holidays when I decided to leave with my friends,” she was quoted as saying.

“I knew it was a big decision, but I just felt compelled to do it quickly. I didn’t want to be the friend that was left behind.”

“My mum didn’t see me walking outside of the door. I didn’t hug her, I really regret not hugging her,” she added.

The schoolgirls with whom she fled to Syria – Amira Abase and Kadiza Sultana were both killed in the city of Baghuz.

Begum lost two of her children while trying to flee the last-held territory of Daesh. Her third child died shortly after she gave birth to him in the Syrian camp.

“I just really wanted to kill myself, I felt I couldn’t get up anymore, I couldn’t even get up to run when there were bombings. The only thing keeping me alive was my baby that I was pregnant with.”

Lastly, when Drury asked what she would say to those in the UK who do not want her to return, Begum said: "Can I come home please, pretty please?"

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Falklands sovereignty row erupts days before King Charles meets Trump

No 10 was quick to respond, with the prime minister's spokesman saying the government "could not be clearer" on its stance

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Falklands sovereignty row erupts days before King Charles meets Trump

Highlights

  • A Pentagon email reported by Reuters suggested the US was considering reviewing its support for UK sovereignty over the Falklands.
  • Downing Street said sovereignty "rests with the UK" and the islanders' right to self-determination is "paramount".
  • Report emerged just three days before King Charles and Queen Camilla are due to meet Trump at the White House.
A report suggesting the US may be rethinking its position on the Falkland Islands has sparked a strong response from Downing Street, coming just days before King Charles and Queen Camilla head to Washington to meet president Donald Trump.
An internal Pentagon email, reported by Reuters, suggested the US was looking at ways to put pressure on Nato allies it felt had not supported its war in Iran.
One of the options discussed was a review of American backing for British sovereignty over the Falklands.
No 10 was quick to respond, with the prime minister's spokesman saying the government "could not be clearer" on its stance.
"Sovereignty rests with the UK and the islanders' right to self-determination is paramount," he told BBC, adding that this had been "expressed clearly and consistently to successive US administrations."
He was firm that "nothing is going to change that."
The Falkland Islands government backed London's position, saying it had "complete confidence" in the UK's commitment to defending its right to self-determination.
Previous US administrations have recognised Britain's administration of the islands but have stopped short of formally backing its sovereignty claim.

Political reaction grows

The report triggered sharp reactions from across British politics. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the reported US position "absolute nonsense", adding: "We need to make sure that we back the Falklands.

They are British territory." Reform UK's Nigel Farage said the matter was "utterly non-negotiable" and confirmed he would raise it with Argentina's president Javier Milei when they meet later this year.

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