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Kurdish-led authorities successful northeastern Syria connected Thursday handed complete 50 women and children — family members of Islamic State militants — to a delegation from Tajikistan for repatriation backmost home.
The 17 women and 33 children, each citizens of Tajikistan, were handed complete to a delegation headed by nan Tajik ambassador to Kuwait, Zubaydullo Zubaydzoda, Syrian Kurdish officials said.
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After nan Islamic State group declared its caliphate successful ample parts of Syria and Iraq successful June 2014, thousands of foreigners, including hundreds from Tajikistan, came to Syria to subordinate IS and unrecorded pinch their families successful nan alleged caliphate.
Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of nan Islamic State group successful Hasakeh province, Syria, connected April 19, 2023. Kurdish-led authorities successful northeast Syria handed complete Thursday 50 family members of nan Islamic State group fighters to a delegation from Tajikistan that escorted nan repatriates backmost home. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)
After IS was defeated, astir of nan militants family members were held successful nan sprawling al-Hol campy and nan smaller Roj campy successful northeastern Syria.
The Syrian Arab Red Crescent said nan women and children were taken to nan airdrome of Qamishli wherever they boarded a level "to beryllium reunited pinch their families" successful Tajikistan connected Thursday.
The repatriation came almost a period aft an onslaught connected a suburban Moscow performance hallway that killed 144 people. The massacre was carried retired by 4 suspected attackers who were arrested and identified arsenic Tajik nationals. IS claimed work and said 4 of its fighters had targeted nan hallway successful Russia.
Over nan past fewer years thousands of people, mostly Iraqis person been repatriated from al-Hol, which houses tens of thousands, mostly IS militants' wives and children but besides supporters of nan militant group.
The heavily-guarded al-Hol, overseen by Syrian Kurdish-led forces allied pinch nan United States, was erstwhile location to 73,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis. Over nan past fewer years, nan organization dropped to astir 43,000, according to Sheikhmous Ahmad, a Kurdish charismatic overseeing camps for displaced successful northeastern Syria.
Tajikistan has said that astatine nan tallness of IS, much than 1,000 fighters from nan state joined extremists groups successful Syria and Iraq, including IS. One of nan astir salient was Gulmurod Khalimov, an serviceman pinch Tajikistan’s typical forces who defected and joined IS successful Syria successful 2015.
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Khalimov roseate done IS ranks to go 1 of its apical subject commanders. In September 2017, nan Russian subject said he was killed successful a Russian airstrike successful Syria’s eastbound state of Deir el-Zour, which borders Iraq.
Thursday’s repatriation of Tajik citizens is not nan first. Last May, 104 Tajik citizens were returned home, including 31 women and 73 children. And nan twelvemonth before, 146 women and children were repatriated.
