Members of the Kurdish security forces stand guard at the arrival of a Dutch diplomatic delegation, led by the Netherlands’ special envoy to Syria, Emiel de Bont (left), and the director of consular affairs at the Dutch Ministry of foreign Affairs, Dirk Jan Nieuwenhuis (right), who was handed over relatives of ISIS fighters in the northeastern Syrian city of Kameshliye on June 5, 2021. DELIL SULEIMAN / AFP
On Saturday, June 5, the Kurdish authorities in Syria handed over four Dutch people (including three children) close to fighters of the Islamic State (IS) group to a Dutch diplomatic delegation for their repatriation, provoking strong criticism in the Netherlands. They are a woman and her two children (two boys aged 2 and 5) as well as a 12-year-old girl, according to Kurdish and Dutch officials.
“The cabinet is transferring a Dutch national, suspected of terrorist offences, with her two minor children, as well as a victim of international child abduction, from Syria to the Netherlands,” Foreign minister Sigrid Kaag and justice and security minister Ferd Grapperhaus confirmed in a letter to Dutch MEPs sent to Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Saturday evening.
“The suspect will be arrested on arrival in the Netherlands and will face criminal prosecution,” the latter added, explaining that an “exceptional opportunity” to transfer the woman and her children had presented itself, while many Dutch MPs were outraged by the operation (which had not been announced on social networks).
Tamara Buruma, lawyer for the woman and her two children, confirmed to AFP that the defendant was named Ilham B., and that she and her two little boys were from the city of Gouda.
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The issue of the repatriation of IS relatives has provoked strong criticism in the Netherlands, and has divided the resigning government, some defending a humanitarian approach while others favor the security dimension. This is an “incomprehensible” step, lamented Liberal MP Ingrid Michon on Twitter. “It is unacceptable and unbearable to bring the enemy that is IS here. These women terrorists have lost their right to tread Dutch soil forever,” added far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders.
The four Dutchmen were handed over to the delegation, including Emiel de Bont, special envoy of the Netherlands to Syria, and Dirk Jan Nieuwenhuis, director of consular affairs at the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. “This is a very specific consular mission, which my government has decided to undertake because the Dutch Court of justice has issued judgments in these specific cases,” de Bont stressed at a press conference.
According to the Dutch authorities, at least 220 children from the Netherlands are living in Syria or Turkey, three-quarters of whom are under the age of 4. There are believed to be 75 of them, including 30 women and 15 men of Dutch nationality, living in camps run by the Kurds.
Western reluctance
Since the fall of the IS “caliphate” in Syria in March 2019, the Kurds have been demanding the repatriation of thousands of foreign women and children of jihadists whom they are holding in overcrowded camps. Despite these repeated requests, most countries, especially European ones, are reluctant to take back their citizens. Some, including France, have repatriated a limited number of minors, including orphans. The Netherlands is no exception, having repatriated only two orphans in 2019.
“The general policy is that the Netherlands does not help people coming from combat zones,” Anna Sophia Posthumus, spokeswoman for the Dutch national coordinator for counter-terrorism and security, told AFP. But for the Kurds in Syria, this Western reluctance poses a real challenge, especially since it is a heavy file to assume, both financially and from a security point of view.
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Foreign affairs officer for the Kurdish autonomous administration of north-eastern Syria, Abdulkarim Omar reiterated on Saturday his call to the international community, so that “it assumes its responsibilities” and that it “cooperates” with the Kurds.
For her part, Ms. Posthumus said she preferred to see the establishment of “a court in the region”, which would be competent to try those guilty on the spot. “We have had discussions but this is just the very beginning,” she added.
The UN has repeatedly warned of the deteriorating health and security situation in the overcrowded camps of north-eastern Syria. A UN report published in February reported “cases of radicalization, training, fundraising and incitement to external operations” in these camps, including that of Al-Hol.
“We are delighted that our customers are being repatriated to the Netherlands, but we would have preferred it to happen sooner,” concluded Ms. Buruma.
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