84 children whose Tajik mothers are imprisoned in Iraq under charges of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) terror group were brought home yesterday night, according to the Tajik MFA information department. The children were reportedly carried to Tajikistan by plane of Iraqi air carrier FlyErbil.
Returning children will undergo medical check-ups and receive any necessary medical treatments and vaccinations soon after their arrival.
Officials say trained psychologists and teachers will work with children long-term to help them to adapt to their new life in Tajikistan.
All in all there are reportedly 43 Tajik mothers serving time in Iraq, with 95 children between them. 11 Tajik children will remain for now in Iraqi prisons and negotiations on returning them home are under way, the MFA information department says.
The issue of repatriation of Tajik children has reportedly been discussed at a meeting of Tajikistan’s Ambassador to Iraq and Kuwait Zubaydulo Zubaydzoda with Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister Hazim al-Yusufi.
According to data from the State Committee for National Security (SCNS) of Tajikistan, sow 1,900 people from Tajikistan have left for Iraq and Syria since 2014 to join the IS terror group. More than 1,700 of them have reportedly been put on the international wanted list. Some 500 Tajiks were reportedly killed in armed conflicts in Middle East and more than 700 others were detained. Besides, many Tajik nationals have reportedly joined extremists group in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Meanwhile, Radio Liberty’s Tajik Service reported on March 12 that more than 100 people in total, including families with children, have returned from the conflict zone — both before and after the amnesty was offered in 2015.
Some were convicted of being mercenaries or recruiting for foreign terrorist organizations. Most, however, have reportedly reintegrated into society under the watchful eyes of authorities, including security services and neighborhood committees.
Recall, Tajik authorities in 2015 offered an amnesty to those who voluntarily returned and renounced violence, seeing it as an opportunity to warn citizens of the dangers of joining ranks with radical Islam.
Ambassador Zubaydzoda, who's been tasked with negotiating the repatriation of Tajik citizens from Iraq and Syria, told RFE/RL on March 6 that Tajik authorities would not give up on their efforts to bring home "all Tajik children" from Iraq.
