Russia repatriates 34 children of ISIS suspects from Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Russia repatriated 34 children from camps in Syria housing suspects with links to the Islamic State (ISIS), a Kremlin official announced on Sunday, adding that Moscow is set to repatriate an additional 150 children from the camps.

The repatriated children are aged between four and 16 and have family awaiting to take care of them back in Russia, according to Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian presidential commissioner for children's rights.

Lvova-Belova thanked Syrian authorities for their “support” and Kurdish officials in northeast (Rojava) for “the continuation of humanitarian cooperation.”

The children received an initial examination by a medical staff and will receive a comprehensive examination and rehabilitation in Russia, according to the official.

“We will continue this work: documents are ready for the return of another 150 children. A family environment, home comfort, the opportunity to learn and develop - new prospects open up for every child in their homeland,” wrote the commissioner on her Telegram channel.

Thousands of children of foreign nationals with suspected links to ISIS live in northeast Syria’s al-Hol and Roj camps, with human rights groups calling camp conditions “filthy,” “often inhumane,” and “life-threatening.”

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who control northeast Syria, fought the lion’s share of the battle against ISIS and arrested thousands of the terror group’s fighters along with their wives and children when they crushed ISIS territorially and took the group’s last stronghold in Syria in 2019.

Around 4,500 Russians went to fight alongside ISIS during the militant group’s rise in 2014. Moscow has repatriated hundreds of Russian nationals since 2018.

Over 50,000 ISIS-linked people are kept in the notorious al-Hol camp in Hasaka province, while thousands of others are kept in Roj camp.

Kurdish authorities in the region have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camps, but their calls have largely gone unanswered as most countries are unwilling to bring back their nationals due to security concerns.