Around 10,000 Islamic State fighters children trapped in northern Syria

The Wall Street Journal reported that about 10,000 children of Islamic State fighters from nearly 40 countries are still stuck in camps in north-eastern Syria, amid dreadful humanitarian conditions.

The newspaper said, based on data from the non-governmental organization Save the Children, on Wednesday, that “most of these children, 50 per cent of whom under five, are currently staying in Al-Hawl refugee camp in Al-Hasakah Governorate,” warning that the harsh conditions in the camp create an unhealthy climate, which may lead these children to become extremists.

The newspaper pointed out that one of the most prominent legal obstacles preventing these children from returning to their countries lies in the fact that separating children from their mothers, who are present in the same camp, contradicts international humanitarian law; while many countries have categorically refused to take back their detained Islamic State nationals.

The newspaper added that some female Islamic State fighters have given up their parental rights in order to allow their children to be integrated into a normal environment; however, others who are still loyal to the terrorist organisation, and are waiting for the recovery of the Islamic caliphate, consider their children as the new generation of Islamic State fighters and do not wish to return them to their countries.

In the same context, the camp’s residents assured the newspaper that some of the detainees escaped from the camp run by the Kurdish fighters, with the help of smugglers.

Source: MEM