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Foreign Ministry’s taskforce doing its utmost to return Russian minors from Iraqi custody

A working group tasked with returning Russian children from Iraq and Syria is doing everything it can to free them from captivity in Baghdad
Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova Maxim Grigoryev/TASS
Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova
© Maxim Grigoryev/TASS

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. A working group tasked with returning Russian children from Iraq and Syria is doing everything it can to free them from captivity in Baghdad, Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova told reporters on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a meeting of the taskforce to bring home underage Russian minors from Iraq and Syria was held at the Russian Foreign Ministry. The meeting summed up interim results of the steps taken to identify the children, to determine if they are related matrilineally, to re-issue documents confirming their Russian citizenship and finally, to outline further steps required for those children’s quickest return to Russia.

"The women who had been married to members of the Islamic State [extremist group outlawed in Russia] were arrested by Iraqi authorities, while their children, who were with them then, happened to stay with them," Kuznetsova said.

"They are being kept under inhumane conditions in a Baghdad prison. Certainly, we [the taskforce for the return of these Russian minors from Iraq and Syria - TASS] will be doing our best to help these children return to their homeland," she pledged.

As the children’s ombudswoman said, about 100 children are being held at the Baghdad prison as of now.

"Actually, they are mostly little kids. Some were born in the area seized by terrorists. For half of the children, the documents have been practically issued. For the rest, some of the documents are being put together concurrently," Kuznetsova said.

"Trials are going to be held soon. Their mothers will face some penalties under the court rulings. The children will be staying with them until the Iraqi courts hand down (their) decisions," she concluded.