U.S. Repatriates Minor from Western Kurdistan, Thanks SDF for Supporting Anti-ISIS Mission
US repatriates minor from Kurdish-run camps in Western Kurdistan, praises SDF's role in fighting ISIS. Urges global action as 30,000+ remain stranded—including children—calling it a 'shared responsibility.' Highlights Kurdish forces' critical partnership in security & humanitarian efforts.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The United States announced the successful repatriation of an unaccompanied U.S. citizen minor from a displaced persons camp in northeast Syria (Western Kurdistan) last week, expressing gratitude to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) for their role in facilitating the operation and for their ongoing commitment to defeating ISIS.
In an official statement released by the U.S. Department of State on Tuesday, Washington thanked the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, and the Department of Defense for their support in the repatriation, which was carried out with the goal of reuniting the child with their family.
“Our interagency efforts have given this child, who has known nothing of life outside of the camps, a future free from the influence and dangers of ISIS terrorism,” the statement said.
The State Department emphasized that nearly 30,000 individuals—many of them children under the age of 12—remain in two major displaced persons camps in Western Kurdistan. The department described the situation as both a humanitarian and security crisis, stressing that the only lasting solution is for all countries of origin to repatriate their citizens.
“The only durable solution… is for countries of origin to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and where appropriate, ensure accountability for their nationals,” the statement read.
This applies not only to women and children in the camps, but also to former ISIS fighters currently held in detention centers by the SDF.
The State Department urged the international community not to abdicate its responsibility or shift the burden to local actors in Syria. “Every country must take responsibility for its nationals in northeast Syria and not look to others to solve the problem for them,” the statement continued. “They should also share in the burden incurred in caring for and repatriating their nationals.”
Recognition of the Syrian Democratic Forces
In its closing remarks, the U.S. government extended “sincere thanks to our local partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces, for their assistance facilitating this repatriation and their commitment to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.”
The repatriation underscores the strategic cooperation between Washington and the SDF in Western Kurdistan and highlights the broader call for a coordinated international approach to resolving the crisis left in the wake of ISIS’s territorial defeat.
