ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – The fate of more than 1,500 children from families affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) remains uncertain as they are held by Kurdish authorities in Roj camp in northeast Syria (Rojava). Many of the children have been radicalized.
A Rudaw team was granted rare access to the camp on Sunday. The radicalized children approached the team with suspicion, and some attempted to attack them.
Many of the children know little or nothing about their fathers or their roots, and some refused to reveal their names.
An 11-year-old said he is from Azerbaijan but added that he has never seen his father.
“Neither I nor you know,” another child said when asked about his father’s name.
Mohammed was the only child who shared his name with the team. He, too, said he does not know his father.
According to data from the administration of al-Roj camp in eastern al-Hasaka province, out of a total of 2,201 camp residents, more than 1,500 are children whose parents come from 53 countries around the world.
Ranja Jamal contributed to this article from Hasaka, Syria.
