“I am glad that we were able to bring another 23 German children and 8 associated mothers back to Germany from Roj camp in northeast Syria,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
The minister said Germany will do everything for the children “to enable them to live in safety and in a good environment.”
Most of the mothers were arrested on their arrival in Germany, he added.
The German nationals were repatriated on Wednesday jointly with Denmark, which brought back 14 children and three women, according to Abdulkarim Omar, the co-chair of Rojava’s foreign relations department.
Thousands of ISIS fighters and their wives and children were detained by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) when they territorially defeated the group in Syria in 2019. About 60,000 family members of the fighters are being held in two camps, al-Hol and Roj. Most are Iraqi and Syrian, but they also include nationals from dozens of countries.
Kurdish officials have made repeated calls on the international community to repatriate their citizens from these overcrowded camps where children are exposed to ISIS ideology, but many governments are hesitant to do so, citing security concerns.
Iraq has started taking back some of its nationals, moving them to al-Jada camp in Nineveh province. Hundreds of Syrians have been allowed to go home. This does not include people facing serious accusations.
Berlin and Copenhagen also announced funding for Syrian refugees being hosted in Lebanon and Jordan.
