Two British jihadis who were part of notorious ISIS 'kill squad' dubbed The Beatles have finally apologised over the murder of aid worker David Haines.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 31, known as Jihadi George, and Alexanda Kotey, 35, dubbed Jihadi Ringo, offered a 'sincere apology' for their roles in the death of Haines, who was beheaded in Syria in 2014 by Mohammed Emwazi, or Jihadi John.

The two men, who were being held by Kurdish forces in Syria, attempted to absolve themselves of blame for the death in an interviewed filmed a week before they were transferred to US custody as American forces unexpectedly withdrew.

They will now be sent to Virginia to stand trial for terror offences, where it is expected they will face the death penalty.

El Shafee Elsheikh, 31, known as Jihadi George, apologised for his role in the death of aid worker David Haines, saying he was sorry for helping to move him from prison to prison

Alexanda Kotey, 35, dubbed Jihadi Ringo, refused to apologise for the killing, but said he had 'regrets' over how Haines died and added 'it isn't something I would wish for [his family]'

David Haines was beheaded in Syria by another member of The Beatles - Mohammed Emwazi, or Jihadi John - in 2014. Footage of the killing was used in ISIS propaganda

Asked to apologise for Mr Haines' killing and reveal the whereabouts of his body, Elsheikh told ITV that he was not involved in the execution and doesn't know where it was carried out.

However, he did admit to having 'an interaction' with Haines in the run-up to his death by helping to move him and other prisoners in a van.

'I have no problem apologising for that,' he said.

However, he denied being responsible for Haines' capture while he was working at a Syrian refugee camp in 2013, or his detention thereafter.

In a separate interview Kotey also offered an apology, despite initially refusing to say anything and insisting he already apologised in unbroadcast footage.

Addressing his response to Bethany, Haines' daughter, he said: 'I regret, and I'm sad for her that that was the fate of her father. That's not something that I would have wished for.

'It's not something that I'm in agreement with and if there is anything that I have done which may have caused some kind of distress to her or her father while he was in detention then I apologise for that.'

Haines' wife, Dragana, told Mail Online: I can't possibly have an opinion until the right and proper thing is done: That his remains are brought home to his family.

'His wife and daughter have unending lack of closure or focus and a need to respect his final resting place here.

'I'm sure anyone would understand that need.'

El Shafee Elsheikh, 31, issued the apology for his role in the logistics of moving David Haines - the aid worker murdered in September 2014

Bethany Haines went to Syria to retrace her father's steps with the ITV crew. She says the men may not accept responsibility for her father's death, but she will continue her fight for justice

The two 'Beatles,' Alexander Kotey, known as 'Jihadi Ringo' (left) and and El Shafee Elsheikh - 'Jihadi George' - (right), are in U.S. custody. They were part of a group of four British ISIS militants who beheaded seven American, British and Japanese journalists and aid workers and a group of Syrian soldiers

In response to the interview, Bethany Haines said it was 'okay' if the men refused to admit they had done wrong.

But she was not going to give up in her fight for justice for her father.

'I'm not letting this go...I will fight for justice and I will fight to find out the truth.'

Not long after the ITV interview the pair were extracted from their jihadi prison in northern Syria, as neighbouring Turkey launched a military offensive on Wednesday.

They are set to be sent to the US for trial, where they will both face a possible death penalty.

Rather than run the risk of them escaping in the chaos, the prized prisoners – labelled the 'worst of the worst' by Donald Trump – were taken to a US Air Force base in Iraq, sources said.

The other two members of the 'Beatles' group infamous for their beheadings were 'Jihadi John' - Mohammed Emwazi (left), who was killed in a drone strike in 2015. - and 'Jihadi Paul', Aine Davis, (right) was convicted in Turkey and sentenced to seven years in prison

The Justice Department wants them transferred eventually to Virginia, where major terror trials are held, and tried as conspirators in the murders of Western hostages. The charge carries a potential death sentence.

As Turkish troops advanced into Syria, American forces moved to secure 'high-value detainees' including the British jihadis, US officials said. Troops were expected to hand over nearly 50 Islamic State militants to Iraq last night. They are likely to face trials lasting as little as ten minutes before public hangings.

But London-born Kotey and Elsheikh – who was born in Sudan – will not be among them. They were part of a four-strong IS 'kill squad' nicknamed The Beatles by captives because of their British accents.

Donald Trump boasted two ISIS beheaders, nicknamed 'Beatles,' were taken into U.S. custody

They are accused of involvement in as many as 20 beheadings, including those of British aid workers David Haines and Alan Henning and US journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff.

Mr Haines's daughter Bethany told ITV: 'I'm not going to give up regardless of if they are in Syria or in some US prison. I will keep fighting and pushing and pushing them and make their lives hell until they give us the answers we want. Justice is what we are waiting for, that's the end of the story. It is hugely important and it is such a relief that the chances of them escaping are very much lessened now.'

Any extradition to America will, however, be held up by a case brought in London's Supreme Court by Elsheikh's mother. She has challenged the Government's decision not to prosecute her son in Britain after the terror pair were stripped of their citizenship.

Maha Elgizouli has also sued the Government to block any evidence-sharing with US prosecutors without a legal assurance that her son will not be executed.

Smoke rises at the site Ras al-Ayn city as Turkish troops along with the Syrian National Army begin Operation Peace Spring in northern Syria on Wednesday

A decision is expected within weeks. Former MI6 chief Sir John Sawers yesterday said the pair should be brought back to the UK to face justice.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'We have rather left those Isis detainees in the hands of the Kurds. Frankly, it was only ever a temporary solution to leave them in a camp in the desert in Syria. I think, ultimately, they ought really to be brought back to their home countries to face justice here.' He said Kotey and Elsheikh should 'probably face British justice here'.

The Crown Prosecution Service has said there is 'insufficient evidence' to prosecute them in the UK. There were fears Kotey and Elsheikh could have tried to join thousands of IS prisoners in trying to escape in the mayhem following the assault by the Turkish military on the Kurdish-led militia that captured them.

US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who serves on the Senate's foreign relations committee, said: 'We now face the very real prospect of 10,000 IS prisoners rejoining the battlefield.' Diane Foley, the mother of murdered aid worker James Foley, said: 'This is like a victory for the Isis fighters. I just think it's appalling.

'It's an abdication of our responsibility to ensure safety for our own citizens and allies.'

Mr Trump and other US officials have repeatedly pressed Britain and other nations across Europe to take back their citizens.

Asked about the threat of other IS fighters escaping, he said: 'Well they are going to be escaping to Europe, that's where they want to go. They could have had trials, they could have done whatever they wanted, but as usual, it's not reciprocal.'

Syria's Kurds said yesterday that a Turkish bombardment had hit a jail used to house captured IS fighters. The Jerkin prison in the city of Qamishli is said to house 'some of the most dangerous criminals from more than 60 countries'.