Palestinian-American member of ISIS surrenders: Iraqi general

A Palestinian-American member of ISIS on Monday gave himself up to an Iraqi Kurdish military unit in the country”s north, an Iraqi Kurdish general said.

The circumstances of the surrender were not fully disclosed but it marked a rare instance in which an ISIS fighter voluntarily gave himself up to Iraqi or Kurdish forces in Iraq. In neighboring Syria, meanwhile, Syrian Kurdish fighters battling the ISIS, have told The Associated Press that they are seeing an increase in the number of ISIS members surrendering following recent territorial losses.

Maj. Gen. Feisal Helkani of the Iraqi Kurdish peshmerga forces, which are playing a key role along with the Iraqi military in battling the extremist ISIS group, identified the individual who surrendered as Mohammed Jamal Amin.

Helkani said the man is a Palestinian-American who has been fighting with ISIS in Iraq and who surrendered on Monday morning near the town of Sinjar, which was retaken by Iraqi forces from ISIS militants late last year.

According to Helkani, Amin was carrying with him a large amount of cash, three cell phones and three forms of identification, including a U.S. driving license. The ISIS fighter is currently being held by the peshmerga troops for interrogation, Helkani added.