Dorothee Maquere, the wife of French ISIS member Jean-Michel Clain, sits with four of her five children at a screening area in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. AFP
Dorothee Maquere, the wife of French ISIS member Jean-Michel Clain, sits with four of her five children at a screening area in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. AFP
Dorothee Maquere, the wife of French ISIS member Jean-Michel Clain, sits with four of her five children at a screening area in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. AFP
Dorothee Maquere, the wife of French ISIS member Jean-Michel Clain, sits with four of her five children at a screening area in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor. AFP


How France finally made the tough decision to bring home its ISIS families


Sofia Koller
Sofia Koller
  • English
  • Arabic

July 08, 2022

At dawn on July 5, a group of 16 women and 35 children landed in Paris. When the women left France, years ago, they were travelling to what was then ISIS-controlled territory in Iraq and Syria. Now, they returned as single mothers, coming from detention camps in northeast Syria. After three years of obstacles and indecision, France has finally decided to repatriate some of its citizens. While bringing people affiliated with ISIS back to French soil might seem incredibly risky at best and naive at worst, repatriation is still the most effective solution to the foreign fighter dilemma.

In the past 10 years, almost 2,000 people have left France to join terrorist organisations like ISIS. Around 20 per cent of them have been women. Since the military defeat of the so-called “caliphate” in 2019, several thousand foreigners with affiliation to ISIS have been detained in Kurdish camps and prisons in northeast Syria. Now, despite appalling living conditions, diseases, deaths, and scolding by international organisations, Kurds, the US and detainees’ families, France had, until July, only brought back 35 children, and did so on a case-by-case basis. Several hundreds French citizens or residents – 67 men, 75 women and 250 minors – remain in Kurdish camps and prisons.

A volunteer at the camp in Ain Issa looking after orphaned children reportedly linked with foreign ISIS fighters. AFP
A volunteer at the camp in Ain Issa looking after orphaned children reportedly linked with foreign ISIS fighters. AFP

France having now doubled the number of repatriated children with this latest group, and having brought back mothers, too, may point to a positive shift in policy; France and its European partners should also bring back the remainder of their citizens from Syria. But tracing the developments that led to this change helps to explain why this could also be little more than damage control.

Confronted with the dilemma of what to do with ISIS affiliates detained in Syria, countries adopt different approaches, ranging from citizenship stripping in the UK to actively repatriating citizens, as in the case of Kosovo. France has largely opted over the years to shy away from its responsibilities and has argued that ISIS affiliates should be tried in the region – aware that this was no feasible legal solution. As human rights organisations began condemning the gruesome conditions of “Europe’s Guantanamo”, more and more European countries started repatriating: Belgium is repatriating minors below 12. Germany has brought back 22 women and 69 children and the Netherlands has started repatriating women to stand trial.

France has not only become increasingly isolated among its European partners, but has faced mounting pressure from its citizens at home. In 2021, two families brought France before the European Court of Human Rights, alleging that “the refusal to repatriate their daughters and grandchildren expose them to inhuman and degrading treatment”.

Prosecuting French female returnees requires less evidence and leads to longer sentences, compared to other European countries

Last year, a French woman detained in a Syrian camp died from health complications from severe diabetes, leaving behind her 6-year-old daughter. The pressure mounted in February when the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child found that “France’s failure to repatriate French children...in life-threatening conditions for years violates their right to life, as well as their right to be free from inhuman and degrading treatment”.

Still, France has grimly held its position. Repatriations are not easily marketed as a political win and France has been traumatised from multiple deadly terrorist attacks in the past decade. Terrorism remains a politicised topic in France. Government officials hinted that Paris would start moving on the repatriation question once the recent presidential elections were over – a clear prioritisation of politics over humanitarian, legal and security considerations.

But other considerations have helped to push France’s latest decision. Jean-Charles Brisard, president of the French Centre for the Analysis of Terrorism points to several recent developments. First, the repatriation was “mainly related to the deterioration of the security situation in the region”. Among rising tensions and fearing a Turkish offensive, Syrian Kurdish authorities declared a state of emergency on July 6, mobilising all of their forces. With an intensification of the conflict and fewer personnel available to guard the camps and prisons, detainees – including those strongly suspected of retaining ties to ISIS – could use the opportunity to flee.

During a Turkish attack in October 2019, for example, 10 French women were able to flee from the Ain Issa camp. And among the women repatriated this month is Emilie Konig, who figures on American and UN terrorism blacklists.

Emilie Konig walks in Camp Al Roj, northeastern Syria, on March 28, 2021, where she was held with others suspected relatives of ISIS members. Konig, one of a number of French jihadists, was repatriated from Syria on July 5. AFP
Emilie Konig walks in Camp Al Roj, northeastern Syria, on March 28, 2021, where she was held with others suspected relatives of ISIS members. Konig, one of a number of French jihadists, was repatriated from Syria on July 5. AFP

A second reason is the increased activity of ISIS in the area. Most prominent was the attack on a prison for ISIS fighters, including foreigners, in Hasakah, Syria in January 2022: hundreds fighters are thought to have escaped and, although many were recaptured, scores are still missing and might re-join IS. A final reason was to pre-empt an “imminent” decision against France from the European Court of Human Rights.

Repatriation is a crucial step, but it is only the start of a longer process. Most of the repatriated minors are under the age of five, and include seven orphans. Upon arrival, minors are usually separated from their mothers before undergoing a health and psychological screening and being placed with host families. Child welfare officers assess the need for specialised counselling and whether the child can return to his or her family of origin. The social reintegration of these children will be a long-term challenge.

Children of suspected ISIS terrorists are checked by medical teams as they board a Russian plane at the runway of Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 30, 2018. EPA
Children of suspected ISIS terrorists are checked by medical teams as they board a Russian plane at the runway of Baghdad International Airport in Baghdad, Iraq, on December 30, 2018. EPA

Adult returnees, on the other hand, are arrested upon arrival In France and placed in isolation units during pre-trial detention. One repatriated minor will turn 18 in the coming days and has also been arrested due to security concerns. Since 2016, female returnees have also been more rigorously prosecuted, on charges including association with a terrorist group, child endangerment or war crimes. The average prison sentence is six years and eight months. In comparison to other European countries, prosecuting French female returnees for terrorism offences requires less evidence and leads to longer sentences. Since early 2022, female returnees can be assessed in special units and distributed to ordinary detention, isolation or prevention units. After release, a multi-disciplinary programme supports their rehabilitation and reintegration.

Repatriating foreign fighters might not seem like the most attractive political decision. Returnees might be involved in terrorist attacks and security agencies might not always be able to thwart them. Nonetheless, repatriating is the safer option. It allows for bringing perpetrators to justice, assessing their risk, and supporting disengagement from a violent ideology.

Children, particularly, should be considered victims instead of paying for their parent's decision and being abandoned in breeding grounds for extremist socialisation. Finally, Europeans cannot indefinitely continue unloading their problematic citizens on the Kurds, who have already paid a high price to defeat ISIS.

While this repatriation of French minors and mothers is a positive signal, it has to be the beginning of a larger campaign to meet France’s obligations. It would be the perfect opportunity for European countries to develop a joint repatriation strategy. France should also set up bilateral exchange mechanisms on concrete cases to complement existing international investigations of ISIS, such as those run by the UN, to exchange “battlefield evidence” for the prosecution of returnees, for example, for crimes committed against members of the Yazidi community.

France finally seems to be willing to take responsibility for its citizens and take short- and long-term security considerations seriously. Together with other European governments, it should now work on repatriating all remaining men, women and children, prosecute adults and brace for the long road of returnee’s rehabilitation and reintegration. Only then it will be able to live up to the high standards of accountability and human rights that it should expect from itself and that it expects from its partners.

COMPANY%20PROFILE
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If%20you%20go
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bundesliga results

Mainz 0 Augsburg 1 (Niederlechner 1')

Schalke 1 (Caligiuri pen 51') Bayer Leverkusen 1 (Miranda og 81')

The specs: 2018 Maserati GranTurismo/GranCabrio

Price, base Dh485,000 (GranTurismo) and Dh575,000 (GranCabrio)

Engine 4.7L V8

Transmission Six-speed automatic

Power 460hp @ 7,000rpm

Torque 520Nm @ 4,750rpm

Fuel economy, combined 14.3L (GranTurismo) and 14.5L (GranCabrio) / 100km

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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Tips for job-seekers
  • Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
  • Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.

David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East

From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

ESSENTIALS

The flights

Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh via Yangon from Dh2,700 return including taxes. Cambodia Bayon Airlines and Cambodia Angkor Air offer return flights from Phnom Penh to Siem Reap from Dh250 return including taxes. The flight takes about 45 minutes.

The hotels

Rooms at the Raffles Le Royal in Phnom Penh cost from $225 (Dh826) per night including taxes. Rooms at the Grand Hotel d'Angkor cost from $261 (Dh960) per night including taxes.

The tours

A cyclo architecture tour of Phnom Penh costs from $20 (Dh75) per person for about three hours, with Khmer Architecture Tours. Tailor-made tours of all of Cambodia, or sites like Angkor alone, can be arranged by About Asia Travel. Emirates Holidays also offers packages. 

Classification from Tour de France after Stage 17

1. Chris Froome (Britain / Team Sky) 73:27:26"

2. Rigoberto Uran (Colombia / Cannondale-Drapac) 27"

3. Romain Bardet (France / AG2R La Mondiale)

4. Fabio Aru (Italy / Astana Pro Team) 53"

5. Mikel Landa (Spain / Team Sky) 1:24"

Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

The specs

Engine: 1.5-litre turbo

Power: 181hp

Torque: 230Nm

Transmission: 6-speed automatic

Starting price: Dh79,000

On sale: Now

The specs

A4 35 TFSI

Engine: 2.0-litre, four-cylinder

Transmission: seven-speed S-tronic automatic

Power: 150bhp

Torque: 270Nm

Price: Dh150,000 (estimate)

On sale: First Q 2020

A4 S4 TDI

Engine: 3.0-litre V6 turbo diesel

Transmission: eight-speed PDK automatic

Power: 350bhp

Torque: 700Nm

Price: Dh165,000 (estimate)

On sale: First Q 2020

Company Profile

Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million

'Cheb%20Khaled'
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Scores

Day 2

New Zealand 153 & 56-1
Pakistan 227

New Zealand trail by 18 runs with nine wickets remaining

Jetour T1 specs

Engine: 2-litre turbocharged

Power: 254hp

Torque: 390Nm

Price: From Dh126,000

Available: Now

At a glance

Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.

 

Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year

 

Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month

 

Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30 

 

Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse

 

Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth

 

Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances

HAJJAN
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Abu%20Bakr%20Shawky%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3EStarring%3A%20Omar%20Alatawi%2C%20Tulin%20Essam%2C%20Ibrahim%20Al-Hasawi%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cbr%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Cryopreservation: A timeline
  1. Keyhole surgery under general anaesthetic
  2. Ovarian tissue surgically removed
  3. Tissue processed in a high-tech facility
  4. Tissue re-implanted at a time of the patient’s choosing
  5. Full hormone production regained within 4-6 months
THE DEALS

Hamilton $60m x 2 = $120m

Vettel $45m x 2 = $90m

Ricciardo $35m x 2 = $70m

Verstappen $55m x 3 = $165m

Leclerc $20m x 2 = $40m

TOTAL $485m

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

War and the virus
MATCH INFO

Manchester United 1 (Rashford 36')

Liverpool 1 (Lallana 84')

Man of the match: Marcus Rashford (Manchester United)

MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid

When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20APPLE%20M3%20MACBOOK%20AIR%20(13%22)
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Essentials

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly direct from the UAE to Geneva from Dh2,845 return, including taxes. The flight takes 6 hours. 

The package

Clinique La Prairie offers a variety of programmes. A six-night Master Detox costs from 14,900 Swiss francs (Dh57,655), including all food, accommodation and a set schedule of medical consultations and spa treatments.

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Filipinos in the UAE invest

A recent survey of 10,000 Filipino expatriates in the UAE found that 82 per cent have plans to invest, primarily in property. This is significantly higher than the 2014 poll showing only two out of 10 Filipinos planned to invest.

Fifty-five percent said they plan to invest in property, according to the poll conducted by the New Perspective Media Group, organiser of the Philippine Property and Investment Exhibition. Acquiring a franchised business or starting up a small business was preferred by 25 per cent and 15 per cent said they will invest in mutual funds. The rest said they are keen to invest in insurance (3 per cent) and gold (2 per cent).

Of the 5,500 respondents who preferred property as their primary investment, 54 per cent said they plan to make the purchase within the next year. Manila was the top location, preferred by 53 per cent.

Pari

Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment

Director: Prosit Roy

Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani

Three stars

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Updated: July 08, 2022, 6:00 PM`