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Syria
Belgian parliamentarians Georges Dallemagne (left) and Koen Metsu at a press conference in Qamishli on December 4, 2020. Photo: North Press Agency
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — A Belgian delegation of parliamentarians and humanitarians visited northeast Syria (Rojava) on Friday to discuss the handling of “Belgian terrorists” with Kurdish-led authorities, according to one delegation member.
The delegation visited Rojava to talk about security, humanitarian and political matters including the fate of Belgian nationals affiliated to the Islamic State (ISIS), Belgian parliament member Georges Dallemagne said in a press conference in Qamishli on Friday after the meeting.
"We discussed the situation of Belgian terrorists that the SDF captured who are in the camps, be that the women, the children or the men,” Dallemagne said.
"We discussed the way in which we can handle this situation in the future."
Jihad Omar, co-chair of Syrian Democratic Council’s public relations office told Hawar News Agency (ANHA) that the two parties discussed "the Syrian crisis and ways to solve it, the representation of the AANES [Rojava’s administration] in the future of the region, ISIS detainees and their families, the mechanism for supporting the region, and bilateral means of cooperation."
“For their part, the delegation expressed their willingness to help the region on the political level, and the file of the trial of ISIS and the mercenary families,” Omar said. "We stressed the need for a Belgian diplomatic representation in the region as it will encourage some other parties, organizations and forces to take such a step."
Rojava’s administration is politically governed by the Syrian Democratic Council. The multi-ethnic Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the SDC’s military arm, acts as the army of the administrative area.
Elham Ahmed, co-chair of SDC’s Executive Committee, said last Saturday that ISIS could regroup in camps and prisons in the region, where children of the extremist group's members are coming of age.
The main reason for Western countries refuse to repatriate their nationals is the "fear" that some ISIS-linked suspects could be acquitted due to their laws and lack of proof in their home countries, to be released into wider society.
The international community is also failing to fund the trial process for domestic and foreign ISIS fighters in Rojava, Ahmed said – a position she branded a “crime.”
A report published last month by UK-based rights organization Rights and Security International (RSI) described al-Hol camp, home to the vast majority of Rojava’s ISIS-linked detainees, as "Europe's Guantanamo". RSI called on European countries to repatriate their nationals.
Tens of thousands of people – Syrians, Iraqis, and foreigners – are held in al-Hol camp. Most are the wives and children of ISIS fighters. Around 10,000 suspected ISIS fighters are held in prisons in Rojava, guarded by the SDF with the assistance of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.
Omar said that the Belgian delegation “had ideas and projects for the region centered on aid and continued support, especially the file of the trial of ISIS mercenaries, and they had a good idea in this endeavor, and we consider it a good step.”
“We believe that it will be a good start in this endeavor for European countries in the region, and we hope to bear fruits soon," he said without providing details.
The Belgian government counter-terror body OCAM estimated in July 2019 that there were approximately 15 women and 45 children from Belgium in al-Hol camp. Three Belgian women and six children were repatriated from northeast Syria in July of this year.
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