Tajikistan prepares to repatriate citizens being held in Syria, Iraq

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Tajikistan is working to bring home all its citizens in Iraqi prisons and Syrian refugee camps -- including the infamous al-Hol camp -- within the next two months, according to Tajik Ambassador to Kuwait Zubaidullo Zubaidov.

Zubaidov himself on April 17 journeyed to Iraq to oversee the repatriation of three women who had served their sentences in a Baghdad prison.

"They voluntarily expressed a desire to return to Tajikistan, where, after completing a rehabilitation course, they will return to their relatives," Zubaidov told Caravanserai.

Iraqi and Syrian authorities have agreed to repatriate Tajik women and children being held in prisons and camps following meetings over the past two months, according to Zubaidov, who also acts as ambassador to Iraq, Jordan, Oman and Lebanon.

"These were multi-level meetings and negotiations to agree on the return of Tajik citizens, mainly children and women who ended up in these countries because of their husbands," said Zubaidov.

"At the request of the government of Tajikistan, I was received by the presidents of Syria and Iraq and enlisted their support."

Most of the Tajiks being repatriated -- some 200–250 individuals -- are located in these camps, he said.

"There may be Tajik citizens in other camps in Syria, but we don't have information on where or how many," he noted.

Most of those being held are the wives and children of militants who were recruited by the "Islamic State" (IS) and travelled to the region to fight for the terrorist group.

The families of militants from Central Asia mainly lived in the cities of Mosul, Iraq, and al-Raqa, Syria.

In Syria, the wives and children of dead or missing IS fighters were put in refugee camps such as al-Hol.

In Iraq, with its fully restored constitutional governance, they were put on trial. Women from Tajikistan and other countries received long prison sentences.

A difficult job

"Neither the Syrian nor the Iraqi authorities have any desire to have foreign citizens involved in IS on their territory," Zubaidov said.

"Although the authorities know that the vast majority of these women and children ended up on their land against their will, they still believe they can pose a threat to their country."

"The only certain answer is to return them to their homeland. This position is shared by the Tajik leadership, the UN [United Nations] and international humanitarian organisations," he said.

"Over the past few years, we've been negotiating with Syrian authorities, have visited the territory controlled by Kurdish groups, and are in talks with representatives of the Kurdish [forces]. We've found them to be understanding."

In addition to difficult negotiations, compiling lists of "returnees" has also presented considerable challenges, said Zubaidov.

"Perhaps this is because IS recruiters continue to propagandise among repatriates," he said.

Tajik government estimates that there are as many as 600 Tajik women and children in Iraq and Syria do not reflect the full picture, said Mumin Ahmadi, a correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)'s Tajik service, who has covered such repatriations in the past.

Many Tajiks could be in the al-Hol and Roj camps alone, he told Caravanserai, noting that on the border of Syria with Türkiye, Iraq and Jordan, there are several more large camps and many small ones.

"We cannot rule out the possibility that Tajik citizens are there. The war could have scattered them throughout Iraq and Syria," said Ahmadi.

"Many are in the camps under assumed names and don't want to reveal their real initials ... There are those who don't believe they will be forgiven in their homeland or simply don't want to give up their beliefs in exchange for freedom," he said.

"And these people, whose convictions brought them to Syria and Iraq as a sign of support for IS, are trying in every possible way to influence those who would like to return home."

"This, too, complicates the Tajik authorities' work to bring their citizens home," said Ahmadi.

Terrorism dangers

Since the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) ousted IS from its last Syrian stronghold in 2019, with backing from the international coalition, tens of thousands of individuals have been detained in Kurdish-controlled camps.

Many foreigners are among the detainees at the al-Hasakeh camps of al-Hol and Roj, with 10,000 foreigners in al-Hol alone.

Kurdish authorities have called on countries repeatedly to repatriate their citizens, but foreign governments have allowed only a trickle to return home, fearing security threats and domestic political backlash.

"These camps represent not only a flashpoint of human suffering but also an enduring security risk as the more than 30,000 children housed in them are in danger of ISIS indoctrination on a daily basis," Gen. Michael "Erik" Kurilla, commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), said in a statement April 6, using another acronym for IS.

"The only long-term solution to this crisis is the successful rehabilitation, repatriation, and reintegration of al-Hol and al-Roj camp residents back to their countries of origin."

Having countries return their citizens from prisons and displaced persons' camps in Iraq and Syria is an important step in countering terrorism and extremism, said Alexander Avanessov, senior UN Development Programme adviser on prevention of violent extremism.

"I am glad that all countries of Central Asia have the same position on this issue," he said in online remarks for a training seminar held in Khujand on April 17, as part of a project to bolster resilience to violent terrorism.

Tajikistan's Strategy for Countering Terrorism and Extremism, adopted in 2016 and then revised in 2022, contains a plan for the repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration of citizens involved in terrorist and extremist organisations.

Tajikistan retrieved its citizens from Syria on two previous occasions -- in 2019 and 2022. The first operation brought home 84 children, while the second returned 146 women and children.