ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Kingdom repatriated a British child from a family linked with the Islamic State (ISIS) in northeast Syria (Rojava), the Kurdish-led administration announced on Thursday.
The handover took place during a meeting on Tuesday between a British delegation and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), according to a statement from the Rojava Department of Foreign Relations. The UK delegation included Niamh Connelly, political officer at the UK Office for Syria Affairs, and Charlotte Dixon, acting consul general at the British Consulate in Erbil.
Thousands of people with suspected ISIS ties are being held in Rojava at al-Hol and Roj camps. As of April, al-Hol, the larger camp, housed 34,927 people - 15,681 Iraqis, 15,861 Syrians, and 6,385 foreigners, according to camp official Sheikhmous Ahmed. Al-Hol has become notorious for poor living conditions and is often described as a breeding ground for extremism.
Rojava officials have repeatedly urged countries to take back their citizens. In late July, an American child who had spent their entire life in one of the camps was also repatriated and the US State Department estimated that about 30,000 people from more than 70 countries remain in the two facilities, most of them children under 12.
In their meeting, the British and Rojava officials also discussed talks between Damascus and the Kurdish-led administration about integrating Rojava institutions into the Syrian state, and preventing an ISIS resurgence. The UK delegation said the humanitarian situation in northeast Syria remains “extremely difficult” after more than 13 years of conflict and pledged continued support for programs to protect civilians, improve camp conditions, and strengthen community resilience, according to the statement.
On March 10, Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) chief Mazloum Abdi agreed to bring all civil and military institutions in Rojava under state authority. Talks on implementing the agreement have stalled, however. One of the points they disagree over is how the SDF will join the Syrian army. The SDF wants to remain a unified force and Damascus is pushing to absorb fighters individually.
Clashes between the SDF and Syrian government forces broke out on Monday for the second time in recent days. Each side blamed the other for instigating the skirmish.