France repatriates ISIS nationals from Syria’s AANES
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that it repatriated 55 people of ISIS nationals from the camps of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES).
A delegation led by Stéphane Romatet, head of the crisis management and support center French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, met Badran Chiya Kurd, deputy co-presidency of the AANES in the city of Qamishli, northeastern Syria.
The AANES was first formed in 2014 in the Kurdish-majority regions of Afrin, Kobani and Jazira in northern Syria following the withdrawal of the government forces. Later, it was expanded to Manbij, Tabqa, Raqqa, Hasakah and Deir ez-Zor after the SDF defeated ISIS militarily there.
The AANES handed over 40 children and 15 women, who were in the Hawl Camp, to the French delegation.
Hawl Camp, 45 km east of the city of Hasakah, is a house for 55.829 individuals, including 28.725 Iraqis, 18.850 Syrians and 8.254 of foreign nationalities, according to the latest statistics obtained by North Press.
The two parties discussed several files, including paths of Syrian solution, combating terrorism, and supporting the region.
Romatet said that the French government is working together with the AANES to find the possible solutions for the camps housing ISIS families.
Reuters news agency said, citing the foreign ministry as saying, the children were handed to the child care services, while the women will be transferred to the judicial authorities.
France thanked the AANES for cooperating with it, making this operation possible, the ministry added.
“The French citizens were among more than 40.000 foreign nationals, most of them Iraqis, in detention,” Reuters said, citing Human Rights Watch.