Belgian court orders that government must accept ten children of Islamic State terrorist from Syria

A court in Brussels on Thursday ordered the Belgian government to bring 10 children to the European country for resettlement who were born in Syria to Belgian parents affiliated to the Islamic State.

The court’s decision is for the government is to facilitate the transport of the children within six weeks or pay a fine for each day of delay for every child past the deadline.

According to Reuters, the children, aged between seven months to seven years, are currently living in the sprawling al-Hol Camp in northern Syria, which is under the control of the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

“If the government does not help with the Consulate and administrative documents for their return, they will be fined with (5,000) euros per child for each day of delay,” read the court’s decision

Koen Geens, the Minister of Justice in the Belgian federal cabinet, told a public radio station in Brussels, “The government is prepared to help bring the children back with the condition of not bringing back their mothers with them.”

Last month, the court requested that the government repatriate a 23-year-old Belgian woman whose husband fought for the Islamic State, as well as her children from Al-Roj Camp, also controlled by SDF.

The United States has called on multiple nations to bring home thousands of Islamic State members which the SDF has captured in Syria.

So far, European states have been reluctant to bring back Islamic State fighters or women accused of membership in the extremist group, fearing that, due to the lack of evidence, suspects could be quickly released once they appear in court after returning home.

Source: Kurdistan 24