In what marks the most extensive repatriation of US citizens to date, American officials, collaborating with Kuwait and pro-US Kurdish fighters, successfully brought back 11 US citizens, including five minors, and a nine-year-old non-US sibling of an American national.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the completion of the operation, which also saw six Canadian citizens, four Dutch citizens, and one Finnish citizen repatriated, most of whom were children.
Blinken emphasized the necessity for countries to address the dire conditions in northeast Syria by repatriating, rehabilitating, and reintegrating their nationals to ensure accountability for any wrongdoing.
Despite the recent repatriations, approximately 25 Americans still remain in the camps, as reported by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
While the United States has been actively encouraging European nations to repatriate their citizens from the region, progress has been slow, especially in countries like France and Britain with a history of domestic jihadist attacks.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, responsible for administering the camps, acknowledged the latest repatriation but stressed that more comprehensive international efforts were needed to address the underlying issues.
As of now, the Kurdish fighters are overseeing over 56,000 detainees believed to have connections with the Islamic State group, with nearly 29,000 children detained in the largest camps. Amnesty International has described this situation as the most concentrated instance of children being arbitrarily deprived of liberty worldwide.
