4 Albanian women, 9 children to be repatriated from Syria

By LLAZAR SEMINI
Associated Press

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — A Kurdish official says four Albanian women and nine children, all related to Albanians who joined Islamist extremist groups fighting in Syria and Iraq, are being repatriated from a Syrian camp. Abdul-Karim Omar, who negotiates with countries on the return of their citizens from Syrian camps, tweeted that “13 Albanians … were handed over to an official Albanian government delegation.” The Albanian government did not confirm the report. But an Albanian official said off the record that the repatriated Albanians were expected to land home late Friday. A few hundred Albanians joined the Islamic State and other groups. Their relatives in Albania say 52 of their children are still in Syria, including the 13 being repatriated Friday.