Germany cool on Trump appeal to take back IS fighters from Syria

FILE PHOTO - Islamic State billboards are seen along a street in Raqqa, eastern Syria, which is controlled by the Islamic State, October 29, 2014. REUTERS/Nour Fourat/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany can take back Islamic State fighters captured in Syria only if the suspects have consular access, the interior ministry said on Sunday, playing down the likelihood of Berlin meeting demands made by U.S. President Trump to his European allies.

With U.S.-backed fighters looking poised to defeat Islamic State in Syria, Trump on Saturday called on Britain, France and Germany to take back more than 800 captured Islamic State fighters and put them on trial.