An alleged American citizen has been detained in Iraq after defecting from the Daesh (ISIL) terrorist group, according to US media.
The man, identified as Muhammed Jamal Amin, 27, was trying to make his way back to Turkey when he was apprehended by peshmerga forces at a checkpoint, two sources affiliated with the Kurdish fighters told CBS News on Monday.
According to the report, the Kurdish forces at first fired warning shots at Amin, thinking he was a terrorist ready to blow himself up. But he identified himself as a former member of Daesh who wished to turn himself in.
The sources said Amin had fought for ISIL for months. He is now being held in Erbil, where there is a large US military presence.
A video aired by Kurdish TV showed a bearded man, purportedly Amin, being questioned by a Kurdish commander.
In the video, Amin introduces himself as an American who was born to a Palestinian father and an Iraqi mother.
Kurdish TV networks also showed various…