Islamic State children still waiting for Tunisia to bring them home
Dozens of Tunisian children of IS militants are still stuck in Syria, Libya and Iraq as the government continues to wrestle with the logistics of bringing them home.
TUNIS — The nongovernmental organization Observatory of Rights and Freedoms of Tunis launched a national campaign March 4 to pressure the Tunisian state into bringing home the children of Tunisian Islamic State fighters killed in conflict areas.
Observatory head Anwar Awlad Ali stated during a press conference in the capital that 104 children are stuck in Syria, 58 of whom are girls, 78 were born in Syria and 88 under 13 years old. He indicated that 65% of their fathers are dead, 25% in prison and 5% deported to Tunisian prisons.
Awlad Ali said that dozens of Tunisian children are still trapped in Libya, kept with their mothers in Libyan prisons. He added that more efforts are needed to help these victims who chose neither their parents nor where to live.
At the same conference, Awlad Ali called on the Tunisian authorities to apply the constitution and international agreements related to children by respecting the right of return for all Tunisians.
