Mechanism of repatriating ISIS families offers no ultimate solution, AANES
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – An official of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) criticized on Sunday the performance of the foreign states for the repatriation of their nationals who are family members of the Islamic State Organization (ISIS) from northeast Syria.
“Such a mechanism gives no ultimate solution to the issue of ISIS families,” the official said.
In an exclusive interview with North Press, vice-president of the AANES Department of Foreign Relations, Fanar al-Gait, said “the foreign countries keep up, at a low-level, repatriating their citizens who are ISIS members, women and children from the camps in northeast Syria.”
Al-Gait criticized the foreign countries as saying “with this rate, we will have to wait for many years to finish the repatriation.”
He stressed the response to the issue of repatriation with this low-level gives no ultimate solution to the problem.
He told North Press that the AANES is in touch with the foreign states with a view to solve the issue of ISIS families given it is a humanitarian one in the first place. Some countries did get back in touch with the AANES for repatriation.
“We provide any necessary facilities so that the foreign countries can take the initiative and repatriate their nationals,” he noted.
“We have reiterated several times but the response is still low.”
Last week Save the Children warned that it would take 30 years before foreign children stuck in camps in northeast Syria can return home if repatriations continue at the current rate.
“Hawl Camp shelters 23,676 non-Syrian underage children. The majority of them are Iraqis,” Hamrin Hassan, director of Hawl Camp told North Press.
Hassan revealed that 56,000 individuals are in the camp, of which 36,000 are minors.
In the Iraqi context, al-Gait pointed out that three years ago, an Iraqi delegation visited northeast Syria and called for a cooperation to repatriate 32,000 Iraqi refugees from the camps and the Iraqi members of ISIS families.
However, the measures were delayed due to bureaucratic procedures and reasons related to the Iraqi authorities.
Iraq is still coordinating with the camps management to repatriate their nationals but the majority of the Iraqis refuse to return.
Since the beginning of 2019 until 2021, the AANES handed over 995 children and women who are members of ISIS foreigners to their countries, according to official statistic.
The foreign countries voiced willingness to save the women and children from the harsh conditions in the camps that do not suit those whose hands were not stained with blood of the regions citizens.