DAANES Hands Over German ISIS-Affiliated Family to Official Berlin Delegation
The visit aimed to facilitate the repatriation of German nationals affiliated with ISIS and to discuss the evolving political and security landscape in post-Assad Syria.
By Ahora Qadi
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) officially handed over a German woman and four children linked to ISIS militants to an official delegation from Berlin, as part of ongoing repatriation procedures and in accordance with a formal handover document signed by both parties.
The German delegation, led by Christian Klein, head of the Consular and Legal Affairs Division at the German Foreign Ministry, visited northeast Syria on Wednesday, April 30, 2025. According to a statement released by the Department of Foreign Relations of the DAANES, the visit aimed to facilitate the repatriation of German nationals affiliated with ISIS and to discuss the evolving political and security landscape in post-Assad Syria.
Diplomatic Dialogue and Shared Security Interests
During the meeting, both sides addressed the accelerating developments in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime. The discussions also touched upon the Kurdish political conference held days earlier, which sought to formulate a unified Kurdish vision for a decentralized democratic Syria. The initiative was praised as a realistic step toward a fair resolution to the Kurdish question in the country, rooted in collective Kurdish will.
Both parties underlined the importance of continued cooperation with the international coalition to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and to prevent the group from exploiting recent upheavals to regroup.
ISIS Family Repatriation and Intelligence Cooperation
The culmination of the meeting saw the formal handover of one woman and four children of German nationality, all from families associated with ISIS militants. The handover was conducted under an official document signed between DAANES authorities and the German Foreign Ministry delegation.
This repatriation comes amid broader international efforts to manage the post-ISIS humanitarian and legal aftermath in Western Kurdistan, especially in detention camps housing thousands of foreign nationals.
Iraqi Repatriations and Intelligence Transfers Continue
In Apr. 18, 2025, an official at al-Hol camp, confirmed that a new group of Iraqi refugees left the camp, in route to Iraq. “This latest batch includes 238 families—totaling 855 individuals—and marks the 25th evacuation since the start of the return process, and the eighth in 2025 alone,” the Official stated.
The returnees were transferred to the al-Jadaa camp in Iraq under agreements previously established between the DAANES and the Iraqi government.
Furthermore, informed sources revealed that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Iraqi government signed an intelligence-sharing agreement on January 11. The accord includes the direct handover of 200 ISIS fighters currently held by the SDF to Iraqi intelligence services, bypassing administrative procedures in Nineveh province. The agreement coincided with the transfer of three separate batches of ISIS-affiliated families to Iraq.
