Eleven women and 37 children were able to leave Roj camp in northeastern Syria. “Children are not responsible for their situation,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.
Le Monde with AFP
Germany announced, in the night of Wednesday 6 to Thursday, October 7, having repatriated Northern Syria eight women, who had rallied the Jihadist organization Islamic State (EI), and 23 children, in the most important operation of this type led by Berlin since 2019.
In the same operation, conducted with the logistical support of the US Army, Denmark brought out Syria three women and 14 children, according to a statement of German diplomacy, who speaks of “Tour de force” . They were detained in the ROJ camp (Northeast of Syria), under Kurdish control.
“Children are not responsible for their situation. (…) Mothers will have to respond from their actions to criminal justice. Many of them were detained after arrival in Germany,” said Foreign Minister Heiko Maas in this press release.
Returns on a case by case
“I’m glad we were able to bring back to Germany tonight, 23 other German children and eight mothers,” adds the minister, which states that they are people, including children, identified ” As having particularly need protection “.
“These are essentially sick children or having a guardian in Germany, as well as their brothers and sisters and mothers”, according to the department.
According to the Daily Bild, representatives of the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Criminal Police landed, Wednesday morning, in northern Syria aboard an American army aircraft. The plane was then returned with women and children for Kuwait, where the group took a flight to Frankfurt, arrived in the evening.
Since the fall, in March 2019, the Islamic State Organization, the international community faces the repatriation of the families of jihadists captured or killed in Syria and Iraq. Most European Union countries are returning to a case-by-case basis.
An active woman within the EI moral police
In its last transaction, conducted in December 2020 in conjunction with Finland, Germany had brought from Syria five women and eighteen children.
The Germans returned in the night of Wednesday to Thursday are aged 30 to 38 and originating in several parts of the country, According to the magazine Der Spiegel , which adds that six do the subject of an arrest warrant. In the three heavier cases, this mandate was issued by the federal prosecutor of Karlsruhe, competent in terms of terrorism.
der Spiegel describes one of the women, Verena M., native to North Rhine-Westphalia (West), as part for Syria in 2015, trained in the handling of arms by the EI and probably active later within the police of the manners of the organization. In 2016, his son, then 7 years old, had to ask for photos with a weapon and swear allegiance at the EI.
Another is suspected of having promoted the organization on online forums, convincing at least one 16 year old to go to Syria.
According to Bild, there are still about 70 adults with German nationality in Kurdish camps in northern Syria, as well as around 150 children of German nationals.