The recent repatriation of Belgian women and children from extremist camps in northeast Syria, supervised by the Syrian Democratic Forces, has brought their problem to light once again.
The Autonomous Administration announced that Arab and western government delegations have received 81 children and dozens of mothers from al-Hol and Roj camps in Hasaka this year.
Belgian Ambassador to Lebanon Hubert Korman said the most recent repatriation was the largest since ISIS was defeated in eastern Syria in 2019. It was completed in cooperation with the Autonomous Administration and the Syrian Democratic Forces, he added.
According to the Department of Foreign Relations in Qamishli, northeastern Syria, up to 81 children and 25 women were handed over to foreign government delegations this year.
Days ago, Belgium received 16 children and six mothers from Roj camp in northeastern Syria.
On April 14, Russia received ten Russian orphans. Moscow had repatriated nine more orphans on Feb 23. Around 244 Russian children have been repatriated since 2018.
On April 4, the British government received two young brothers while their mother remained at a camp in Syria.
A total of 91 Germans were handed over to their country, including 22 women and 69 children.
Furthermore, two women and two children were repatriated to Sweden on March 14 in addition to four children and two women on Jan. 26.
The Dutch government received 11 children and five women on Feb. 3.
Representative of the autonomous Kurdish authority Dr. Abdul Karim Omar told Asharq Al-Awsat that “invastion threats in Syria's north increase the difficulties facing the Autonomous Authority and give ISIS a chance to restructure itself and seize some regions."
Official delegations from the Autonomous Authority met with the governments of the US-led International Coalition, the UK, and Russia.
They presented five basic solutions to the problem of foreigners in camps in northeastern Syria, including Western and Arab countries repatriating their nationals, helping the autonomous administration to divide al-Hol camp, accelerating the construction of European-funded rehabilitation centers, exchanging intelligence data to distance the ISIS danger from the region, and establishing a special court to try those on the autonomous authority-ruled territories.
