Russia repatriates 26 ISIS-linked children from Northeast Syria
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Russia announced on Friday the successful repatriation of 26 Russian children of the families of the Islamic State (ISIS) militants from northeastern Syria.
Maria Lvova-Belova, Children’s Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation said on Telegram that a group of Russian children were repatriated from a camp in northeastern Syria.
The group included 14 boys and 12 girls, aged five to 12, she noted.
Earlier in November, Lvova-Belova stated she was working to bring a group of children back from Syria before the end of the year.
She added that the children will first undergo medical examinations in Moscow hospitals and then receive rehabilitation before meeting their relatives.
According to the Russian state-owned news agency TASS, Russia has so far repatriated 592 children born to Russian parents who joined ISIS in Syria, Iraq, Pakistan, and Turkey.
Since 2018, these efforts to bring Russian children home from the Middle East have been carried out in coordination with the Children’s Rights Commissioner.