A masked man speaking in what is believed to be a North American accent in a video that Islamic State militants released in September 2014
A masked man speaking in what is believed to be a North American accent in a video that Islamic State militants released in September 2014 is pictured in this still frame from video obtained by Reuters October 7, 2014. Reuters/FBI/Handout via Reuter

The US military confirmed on Thursday that an American fighting in Syria for the Islamic State has been taken into custody. The identity of the man is not immediately available.

Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon said the US citizen has been legally detained by Department of Defense personnel as a known enemy combatant. The Daily Beast has earlier reported that according to a source, the American was captured by Kurdish forces.

As to when and where the surrender took place was not immediately made clear. One official said it occurred in northern Syria in an area controlled by a US-backed militia called the Syrian Democratic Forces, according to Fox News. Some military spokespeople suggested that the fighter “surrendered” on or around Tuesday.

The US military command said they were aware of the report. "As a precondition for Coalition support, SDF and Iraqi forces have pledged to observe international laws and the laws of armed conflict,” the command told the Daily Beast.

In the statement, the command said foreign fighters who are captured or surrender to SDF partners in Syria will be safeguarded and transported humanely. Their home countries will be contacted for the next steps. “The Coalition defers questions pertaining to captured ISIS fighters to their relative nations' Departments of State or equivalent agencies,” it reads, adding the Coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and that ISIS fighters will be pursued regardless of their nationality.

On Thursday, the chief spokesman for the US military command referred all questions about the news. Ryan Dillon reportedly said the “supposed US citizen” was not among the five ISIS fighters who recently surrendered in Raqqa.

The unnamed man is not the first American seized for participating in combat for ISIS. A federal court in Virginia indicted Mohamad Jamal Khweis on two counts of material support for the terrorist group in November.

Khweis had surrendered to Kurdish forces in March 2016. He later expressed regret in a television interview.

In July, Kurdish authorities released a video of a supposed surrender of a US citizen who fought for ISIS. Local news stories identified the man as Pakistani-American with the initials TM. No further information has been provided.

What to do with American terrorist suspects has been the subject of dispute between successive administrations. US President Donald Trump, as a presidential candidate, appeared to have embraced brutal treatment of wartime detainees.

RT/YouTube