ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - An Albanian delegation repatriated 13 women and children linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) from camps in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Friday, revealed a senior Kurdish official.
The Rojava administration’s office of foreign relations on Friday handed over four women and nine children of Albanian nationality to an official delegation from their country, said the head of the office, Abdulkarim Omar, in a tweet.
This is the fourth batch of such repatriations by the Albanian government. Five women and 14 children linked to ISIS were handed over to Albania in July 2021.
The Albanian delegation jointly visited Rojava with a Kosovan delegation on Saturday, discussing the security and economic challenges faced by the Kurdish administration, and stressing the importance of international support for the administration in combating “terrorism” in the area, according to a statement from Abdulkarim’s office.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested thousands of ISIS fighters along with their wives and children when they took control of the group’s last stronghold in Syria in March 2019. Most of these people are held at al-Hol and Roj camps.
The notorious al-Hol camp, the larger of the two camps, houses around 56,000, according to UN figures.
Rojava authorities have repeatedly called on governments to take responsibility for their citizens, but most Western nations are reluctant to repatriate nationals who may be a security risk due to their links with ISIS. Most countries repatriate on a case-by-case basis, prioritizing children.
