Netherlands Bringing Back One IS-Wife and 3 Children From Syrian Detention Camp

Hat tip Vlad Tepes

One of the lingering problems that Western nations face in the wake of the Syrian civil war and the war against the ISIS caliphate in Syria and Iraq, is that there are many ISIS prisoners and their wives and children being held prisoner in Kurdish detention camps in Northern Syria.  The Kurds obviously want the nations involved to come and take their citizens back to their own countries. Many Western nations are reluctant to do so for obvious reasons. There isn't a lot of sympathy for the women, who chose to follow their men and subject their children to the dangers of war. But what about the innocent children?

While it is easy to say bring the children back but we don't want the adult parents, that also creates a dilemma. The Kurds do not want to release children to travel alone without their parents.

While Sweden allows just about anyone to return and resume their lives in privacy, job training, new IDs, and all (No, there is no ticker-tape parade), the Netherlands has been more reluctant. However, a Dutch judge has ruled that the Dutch government must do all it can to bring the children back. He imposed no requirement to bring back any adults. So now it has just been announced that a Dutch delegation has traveled to Northern Syria to bring back a woman identified as Ilham B. along with her two children and a 12-year-old girl who will accompany them with the permission of her mother, who remains a prisoner.

The below article from RTL Nieuws is translated by Fousesquawk. We are also working on English sub-titles for two videos, one from this article, and one from another Dutch outlet. 

https://www.rtlnieuws.nl/nieuws/nederland/artikel/5234864/gangers-syrie-overgedragen-aan-nederland

One woman and three children

IS-traveler picked up from Syria for adjudication in the Netherlands

Photo caption

The Parliament is divided over the bringing back of IS-women and children.

The Kurdish authorities in Syria today have turned over four prisoners to representatives of the Netherlands. It concerns Ilham B., from Gouda, who had connections with the terror group ISIS. Together with her two children, she is being brought back to the Netherlands, her attorney confirms.

According to caretaker minister Ferd Grapperhaus (Justice), it was an "exceptional opportunity" to bring B. and her children to the Netherlands. Upon arrival B. will be taken into custody, Grapperhaus writes in a letter to the Second Chamber. A 12-year-old girl will also travel with her. In that latter case, the Kurdish director, Abdulkarim Omar, speaks of a "humanitarian question".

It was decided to bring the woman back for adjudication in the Netherlands to prevent impunity. A Dutch court had issued an ultimatum to the authorities last year. If more were not done to ensure that the woman could attend her trial, then the case against her would be terminated. The children who accompanied her would be turned over to child protection (service). 

Not fighters

The turnover took place in the town of Kamishli. According to a concerned functionary, in each case, it does not involve people who have been active as fighters for the terror organization, reports the press agency AFP (Agence France Presse).

During the Syrian civil war, foreigners, among whom were also Dutch citizens, traveled to Syria in order to join the Islamic State. These were called Syria-travelers or IS-travelers.

Since the fight against the terror group, the Kurds have taken many foreign IS-fighters prisoner and called on foreign governments to repatriate their citizens, but many countries have little desire.

In November 2019, the judge decided in a (summary proceeding) that the Dutch state must make an effort to bring back children of IS-women from the camps in Syria. The judge spoke of a "serious and acute emergency situation."

The judge imposed no obligation to bring back IS-women themselves.

The summary proceeding was brought by 23 female Syria-travelers. The women wanted that they, together with their 56 children, should be picked up from the camps.

The Cabinet earlier declared that the children not be picked up because it was too unsafe there.

Orphans earlier picked up

It is not the first time that a Dutch delegation has picked up children in Syria. In 2019, the Netherlands picked up two orphans, at that time, 4 and 2 years old. They were children from killed IS-parents. The repatriation was then coordinated with France, who picked up 12 children.