Russia repatriates 38 children of IS suspects from Syria

A Russian delegation in Syria took 38 children from families of suspected Islamic State (IS) group members for repatriation, a Kurdish official said.

Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria handed over the children, "most of whom are orphans", to the Russian delegation, Kurdish foreign affairs official Khaled Ibrahim told a press conference in the city of Qamishli.

The children were taken from the Kurdish-run Al-Hol and Roj camps to the regime-controlled Qamishli airport, where they boarded a plane under heavy Russian security.

Foreign fighters are held in jails, while women and children with ties to the group live in overcrowded camps.

The Russian repatriations follow a similar move by France, which announced it had repatriated 40 children and 15 women from camps in Syria.

"Bringing home these children will ensure they can start to recover from their experiences and begin a normal life," said Beat Rohr, Save the Children's interim country director in Syria, following the French announcement.

Syria's Kurds have repeatedly urged the international community to repatriate foreign nationals held in overcrowded camps.

Nearly 4,500 Russians went to fight alongside IS, according to Russian authorities, and Moscow was the first to organise returns from Syria and also Iraq.

At least 341 Russians, many of them orphans, were repatriated between 2018 and late 2021, following the first returns of women and children spearheaded by Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov.