SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Authorities in Belgium have flown back 16 children of the Islamic State (ISIS) and six mothers, from Kurdish controlled camp of al-Hol in Syria on Tuesday.
“Last night was the final phase of an operation to repatriate 16 Belgian children from Syria accompanied by mothers of Belgian nationality,” Belgium’s federal prosecutor said.
“The military flight landed last night at 1:30 am,” it said.
The mothers and children were taken from the Kurdish-control al-Hol camp in Hassakeh, northeast of Syria across the border to Iraq by land before boarding the plane, a judicial source told the AFP news agency.
The medical examination is undergo for the children, later they will be handed over to the youth protection service. Regarding the mother’s status, they would face prosecution because of linkage to ISIS terrorist members, according to officials in Belgium.
Belgium along with France are the major countries contributing their citizens to join the Jihadist groups including ISIS.
More than 400 Belgians had gone to Syria in 2011 to fight side by side with terrorist organizations.
However, repatriation attempts of Belgians in Syria. July of the last year, authorities in the country had brought home 10 children and six mothers from another camp in Syria.
In March 2021, Prime Minister Alexander de Croo said Belgium had to do everything it could to ensure the safe return of Belgian fighters’ children aged under 12.
