Canada to repatriate 6 children from NE Syria without mother
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Canada is set to repatriate six children from Roj camp, northeast Syria, without their Quebec mother. The Islamic State (ISIS)-linked woman is still undergoing a security assessment, Canadian press reported on Sunday.
The six children – at least two of whom were born in Syria – will reportedly be placed in foster care in pairs upon their return.
In late January, Global Affairs Canada, the country’s chief diplomatic body, ruled out bringing back four foreign-born mothers of ten Canadian children. The women had given birth to the children of their Canadian husbands. Global Affairs Canada gave the women one and a half weeks to decide whether to send the children to Canada by themselves or whether they should remain in the camps.
Separate of those children, Canada is getting ready to repatriate 13 children, six women, as well as four male prisoners after a court ruling. The Canadian press furthermore identified 10 children of Canadian nationality of non-Canadian mothers being held in camps in northeast Syria.
The mothers have decided not to let their children return home, as they themselves have been barred from entering the country.
A staff member of Families Against Extremist Violence Alexandra Bain, which advocates for the mother’s return, said she was “shocked” at the Canadian government’s decision regarding the six children and their mother.
“It doesn’t make any sense. It’s not how I expect Canada to behave,” she added.
Canada has so far only repatriated two children and one woman from the camps.
Roj is one of several detention camps in northeast Syria that house thousands of people, including many foreign nationals, since Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS declared the territorial defeat of the terror group in March 2019.
It currently houses 806 families, including 2,800 individuals of Arabs and foreigners, mostly women and children of ISIS members who hail from 62 countries, according to a previous report published by North Press.