France repatriated 10 women and 25 children who were detained in camps housing “jihadists” and their family members in northeastern Syria, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on Tuesday. This marks the fourth operation of its kind.
According to the ministry, “The minors were handed over to the relevant agencies responsible for providing social care for children and will undergo medical and social follow-up. The adult women were handed over to the relevant judicial authorities.”
Tens of thousands of individuals, including family members of “jihadists” from over 60 nationalities, are being held in the Al-Hol and Roj camps, which are managed by the Kurds in northeastern Syria, as well as in prisons in Iraq.
These French women voluntarily traveled to areas controlled by the ISIS organization in Iraq and Syria. They were arrested after the group’s proclaimed “caliphate” was defeated.
Any adult who voluntarily traveled to the Syrian and Iraqi territories once controlled by ISIS is subject to legal proceedings.
France has faced criticism from international organizations for its slow repatriation efforts of its nationals from these camps. In previous operations, 16 women and 35 children were repatriated to France in the summer of 2022, followed by a second batch in October consisting of 15 women and 40 children.
In January of last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the repatriation of 15 women and 32 children shortly after their condemnation by the United Nations Committee against Torture.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed gratitude to the Kurdish Self-Administration in northeastern Syria for their cooperation, which made this operation possible.
