AANES hands over 5 women, 12 children linked to ISIS to South Africa
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) announced on Monday that it handed over five women and 12 children from families affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) to an official delegation from the Republic of South Africa.
The handover took place on Sep. 25, based on an official agreement signed between both parties at the AANES Foreign Relations Department in Qamishli city, northeastern Syria.
The South African delegation was headed by Ambassador Ashraf Yusuf Suleiman. The meeting was also attended by Sebastian Fostier, head of the sub-delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Hasakah, and Thuraya Qanbas, representing the Child Protection and Care Section at the UNICEF office in Qamishli.
During the meeting, both sides discussed the latest developments in Syria, particularly in the country’s northeast, and stressed the importance of implementing the March 10 agreement.
They also addressed mechanisms for integrating the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and AANES institutions within a broader Syrian framework that ensures stability and national sovereignty.
The Foreign Relations Department highlighted the need for the international community to assume its responsibilities by providing greater support to the AANES in facing ongoing security and humanitarian challenges, including those related to ISIS sleeper cells, as well as the issue of detained ISIS members and their families residing in camps across northeastern Syria.