Humanitarian

Sweden repatriates 2 women and 3 children from northeast Syria

“On 8 May, 2022, 2 Swedish women and 3 children from ISIS families were handed over to a delegation from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

Wladimir van Wilgenburg 2022/05/12 23:04

On 8 May, Sweden repatriated two women and three children from northeast Syria (Photo: Abdulkarim Omar/Twitter)

Syria ISIS children ISIS Sweden AANES SDF Repatriation

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Kurdish-led civilian Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) handed over two Swedish women suspected of ISIS affiliation along with three children to a Swedish government team on May 8.

“On 8 May, 2022, 2 Swedish women and 3 children from ISIS families were handed over to a delegation from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs according to an official transfer document signed by the AANES and the Kingdom of Sweden,” the co-chair of AANES’ Foreign Relations Department, Abdulkarim Omar, tweeted on Wednesday.

It’s not the first time Sweden has repatriated families with suspected ISIS links from Syria.

On Mar. 14, two Swedish women and two children from ISIS families were also handed by AANES officials to a delegation from the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the civilian AANES in northeast Syria have repeatedly called on foreign countries to repatriate their citizens stuck in Syria.

Several Western countries have been reluctant to repatriate their citizens due to legal and security risks and domestic opposition to the repatriation of ISIS suspects.

Also, on Oct. 20, the AANES handed over three Swedish women suspected of ISIS affiliation and eight children to a Swedish government team.