Russia to repatriate 200 ISIS-linked minors from NE Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Russia and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) have reached a deal on Sunday to repatriate another 200 Islamic State (ISIS)-linked minors being held in the Roj and Hawl camps in northeast Syria, said Maria Lvova-Belova, the children’s rights ombudswoman for Russia.
“An agreement has been reached with the authorities of the Kurdish side to take another 200 Russian children home from Syria soon,” Lvova-Belova told reporters.
Russia repatriated 49 children on Saturday, bringing the country’s total number of returned citizens to 399 since 2018. An overwhelming number of them have been children. Russia is among the top repatriating countries in the world.
Around 4.500 Russian citizens joined the ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Most survivors are now being in the Roj and Hawl camps that are run by the AANES and its security forces (the Asayish), or in one of several prisons in northeast Syria under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The deal reached will repatriate a further 200 Russian children in the near future, Tass reported.