France Repatriates 40 Children, 15 Women From Syrian Camps - Foreign Ministry

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th October, 2022) France has carried out an operation to return French nationals, 40 children and 15 women, from camps in Syria holding family members of Islamic State terrorist organization (banned in Russia), the French foreign ministry said on Thursday.

"Today, France conducted a new operation to return French citizens who were in camps in northeastern Syria to the national territory. This operation allowed the return of 40 children and 15 women," the ministry said in a statement.

Minors were handed over to child care services, while adults were transferred to the competent judicial authorities, the ministry added.

Up to 70,000 refugees, mostly women and children from the families of Islamic State jihadists, reportedly live in a camp in the northeast of the Syrian territory controlled by the Arab-Kurdish detachments of the Syrian Democratic Forces and the United States. Among the camp's residents are not only Syrians, but also citizens of other countries, who travelled to Syria to join the Islamic State.