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Kurdish militias hand over Daesh orphan to UK

September 17, 2020 at 4:00 am

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hold their flag in Syria on 17 October, 2017 [BULENT KILIC/AFP/Getty Images]

Kurdish militias in northern and eastern Syria have announced the transfer of a four-year-old Daesh orphan to the UK, Co-chair of the Foreign Relations Commission in North Syria Abdulkarim Omar announced on Wednesday.

According to Aram Media, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, which is affiliated with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), met with UK Special Envoy to Syria Martin Longden in the Qamishli neighbourhood and discussed issues relating to the area.

“We are very happy in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria with this meeting and this important visit for us and the UK, especially as we are partners in the coalition on the ground to eliminate Daesh,” Omar expressed.

He also disclosed that they signed a document for the transfer of the orphan girl to the UK official.

Longden thanked the Kurdish official and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria for facilitating the measures to repatriate the child.

Aram Media noted that the SDF’s Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria has announced moving 11 Russian families from Daesh, including women and children, to the Roj camp in northeast Syria to hand them over to Russia.

The US backs the SDF militia in Syria, which is dominated by the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the People’s Protection Units (YPG). The YPG is the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), a group recognised by Turkey – as well as the US and the European Union – as a terrorist organisation.

The SDF is also backed by several Western powers, who claim they helped the group fight Daesh. However, US President Donald Trump has indicated that the reason for their support is solely oil.

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