The Kurdish-led authorities in northeastern Syria have handed over 50 women and children, who are family members of Islamic State militants, to a delegation from Tajikistan for repatriation. These individuals, all citizens of Tajikistan, were handed over to the Tajik delegation at the airport of Qamishli, where they boarded a plane to be reunited with their families in Tajikistan. This move comes after the defeat of the Islamic State group, which led to the detention of many of the militants’ family members in camps in northeastern Syria.
The repatriation of these individuals from Syria to Tajikistan follows an attack on a concert hall in suburban Moscow that killed 144 people. The attackers, who were arrested and identified as Tajik nationals, claimed to be associated with Islamic State and carried out the massacre in Russia. Tajikistan has been grappling with the issue of citizens joining extremist groups like IS in Syria and Iraq, with reports suggesting that over 1,000 fighters from Tajikistan joined militant groups during the height of IS.
The al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria has been a significant location for the detention of IS militants’ wives and children, as well as supporters of the militant group. Over the past few years, thousands of people, mostly Iraqis, have been repatriated from the camp. The camp, once home to 73,000 individuals, has seen a decrease in population to around 43,000, with plans for further repatriation of individuals from different countries who joined extremist groups during the conflict in Syria and Iraq.
One of the prominent figures associated with Tajikistan joining extremist groups in Syria was Gulmurod Khalimov, an officer with Tajikistan’s special forces who defected and joined IS in 2015. Khalimov rose to become one of IS’s top military commanders before he was reportedly killed in a Russian airstrike in Syria’s eastern province of Deir el-Zour in 2017. This case highlighted the involvement of individuals from different countries, including Tajikistan, in joining extremist groups in the region.
The repatriation of Tajik citizens from Syria back to their home country is not a new occurrence. Previous instances have seen the return of women and children from Tajikistan who were associated with IS militants. Last year, 104 Tajik citizens were repatriated, followed by 146 women and children the year before. This ongoing process of repatriation aims to address the issue of individuals who joined extremist groups during the conflict in Syria and Iraq and to facilitate their return to their home countries for reunification with their families.
