Albania repatriates 19 people from Syria’s AANES

QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – On Saturday, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) handed over 19 members of Islamic State (ISIS) families of Albanian nationality to an official delegation from the country.

The Albanian ambassador to Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan Mark Gharib and director of the Counter-Terrorism and Extremism Office within the Albanian Security Service Colonel Gledis Nano attended the handover.

The Albanians which were repatriated included 14 children and five women from Roj Camp, in the countryside of Derik, northeast Syria.

Mark Gharib stated during a press conference attended by local and international media in northeast Syria’s Qamishli that the Albanian government is working to repatriate all of its citizens from Syria, and “will work to return to the last child to have a decent life, because the entry of these children into Syria was not their choice.”

Gharib pointed out that “the Autonomous Administration did not only bear the burden of Albanian citizens, but also of citizens who joined this terrorist organization from all countries of the world.”

He added that he will convey the reality of the region to the Albanian government and support a comprehensive political solution that works to strengthen the unity of the peoples of the region.

Abdulkarim Omar, co-chair of the AANES Foreign Relations Department, praised the efforts of the Albanian government in assuming its responsibilities towards its citizens, noting that “there are other countries that don’t do this.”

Reporting by Hogir al-Abdo