Moscow repatriates 9 Russian orphans from northeast Syria
244 Russian children have been repatriated from Syria since 2018.
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) handed over nine Russian orphans to Russian officials on Wednesday.
Abdulkarim Omar, the co-chair of the Administration’s Foreign Relations Department, tweeted that “9 Russian orphaned children from ISIS families were handed over to a committee of the Russian Federation Commission for the Rights of the Child, after signing an official handover document between the AANES and the Russian Federation.”
Today, February 23, 2022, 9 Russian orphaned children from ISIS families were handed over to a committee of the Russian Federation Commission for the Rights of the Child, after signing an official handover document between the AANES and the Russian Federation. # Russia pic.twitter.com/o148lTWR4k
— Dr Abdulkarim Omar (@abdulkarimomar1) February 23, 2022
The Russian delegation was received by the co-chairs of the AANES Department of Foreign Relations, Fanar al-Kait and Abeer Elia, according to a report by the Syria-based Hawar News Agency (ANHA).
According to the ANHA report, 244 Russian children have been repatriated from Syria since 2018.
Read More: Moscow carries out repatriation of Russian orphans from Syria
Russia has worked actively to bring back women and children linked to those who fought for the Islamic State in either Syria or Iraq under a program led by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, many still remain.
In December, the Russian press reported that Moscow had reached an agreement with the SDF for carrying out DNA tests on children of captured ISIS militants.
Read More: Russia reaches deal with Syrian Kurds on DNA tests for children of ISIS fighters: TASS
