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Over 70 Russian kids to be evacuated from Syria in near future

The problem of Russian children in Iraq and Syria emerged after a number of Russian citizens had joined the ranks of the Islamic State terror group

Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova Valery Sharifulin/TASS

Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/. More than 70 Russian children will be evacuated from Syria in the near future, Russian Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Anna Kuznetsova told reporters on Friday.

"We can say for sure that preparations are underway to evacuate more than 70 kids in the near future," Kuznetsova pointed out. According to her, Russian experts got access to Syria’s Al-Roj camp and took DNA samples from 21 children.

"As many as 53 kids are expected to return home from the Al-Hol camp, their DNA samples have been collected. Several children are about to arrive in Damascus. These children will return on the next flight because their documents are almost ready," the presidential commissioner specified.

Evacuation of kids

The problem of Russian children in Iraq and Syria emerged after a number of Russian citizens had joined the ranks of the Islamic State terror group (outlawed in Russia) active in the region. Many of them brought their wives and kids with them, while others got married and had children in Iraq and Syria. Many of those kids lost their parents in the hostilities.

Efforts to bring these Russian children back home are being conducted at President Vladimir Putin’s instruction. In 2017, the children’s rights commissioner set up an inter-agency commission to facilitate the return of Russian children from war zones. Together with the Foreign Ministry, the Emergencies Ministry, the Interior Ministry, the Health Ministry and other state agencies, the commission developed a roadmap for the return of Russian kids from Iraq and Syria.

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