Dutch dumps case against man who ‘fought jihadists’

Kurdish Peshmerga fighters stand guard during airstrikes targeting ISIS militants at the Khazer checkpoint outside of the city of Irbil in northern Iraq. A Dutch national who said he fought alongside Kurdish forces in Syria and killed ISIS members. He was charged in The Netherlands but the case was dismissed for lack of evidence. AP

THE HAGUE, Netherlands — The Dutch prosecution service Tuesday quashed a case against a former soldier arrested on suspicion of killing Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) group jihadists while fighting with Kurdish forces in Syria last year.

“Public prosecutors have dismissed the case against J.A., who was suspected of being involved in killing ISIS fighters in Syria,” the prosecutors’ office said in a statement.

Dutch media have named the man as 47-year-old Jitse Akse, who left for Syria in early 2015.

Police arrested Akse in mid-January in the eastern Dutch city of Arnhem after he told newspapers and reported on Facebook that he had fought against jihadists in Syria.

He said he had been battling alongside the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), and his arrest prompted an outpouring of support for his fight against ISIS from Dutch people.

YPG was accused by Amnesty International last year of chasing citizens from their homes in northern Syria before razing them.

But on Tuesday public prosecutors said there was “insufficient evidence to show that A. was personally involved in committing homicide or attempted homicide.”

“The content of A.’s claims are difficult to prove and are not supported by any other evidence,” prosecutors said.

“Also, an on-the-ground investigation (in Syria) is impossible given the current climate,” they said.

“A. was informed of the decision to dismiss the case and was again warned against the illegality of private participation of citizens in an armed conflict,” the statement added.