Al-Hasaka, northeast Syria – A Spanish delegation visited north-east Syria on Wednesday and received a woman and a child from families of so-called Islamic State fighters, as part of ongoing international repatriation efforts.
The delegation – headed by Spain’s ambassador to Damascus, Gonzalo de Salazar – met officials from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) at the Foreign Relations Department in Qamishli. The Spanish team held talks with Gulistan Ali, the department’s co-chair deputy, administrative board member Khaled Ibrahim, and Lana Hussein, representing the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), a core component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Discussions focused on the general situation in Syria and in the north-east in particular, with emphasis on the need to implement the 10 March agreement between the SDF and the Syrian transitional government, according to the AANES-aligned Hawar News Agency.
Ambassador Salazar praised the SDF’s role in combating Islamic State, expressing concern over the security situation in the region. “We all share the same objective – ending violence, defeating terrorism and reinforcing stability in Syria and the wider region,” he said, stressing the importance of preventing any resurgence of the group.
Gulistan Ali highlighted the need to deepen relations between the Autonomous Administration and Spain across all fields – not only humanitarian cooperation. She thanked Spain for responding to requests from both the AANES and the international coalition to retrieve its nationals from camps holding families of Islamic State militants.
The Spanish delegation formally received a woman and a child holding Spanish citizenship under an official handover document signed by both sides.
This latest repatriation follows similar arrangements in recent months. In August, the AANES Foreign Relations Department handed over a woman and a child of Brazilian nationality – also relatives of Islamic State members – to an official Brazilian delegation led by João Zanini, chargé d’affaires of the Brazilian embassy in Damascus. The Brazilian team met senior AANES officials, including co-chair Fanar al-Kaait and representatives of the YPJ.
The Administration also confirmed in August that it had transferred a British child associated with Islamic State families to a UK government delegation during an official visit. The British team included Niamh Connolly, political lead at the UK Office for Syria, and Charlotte Dixon, acting British consul general in Erbil.
