US repatriates 11 US citizens from northeast Syria

Originally Published: 07 MAY 24 08:15 ET

By Jennifer Hansler, CNN

(CNN) — The United States has repatriated 11 US citizens, including five minors, as well as the sibling of one of those minors, from northeast Syria in what Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the “largest single repatriation” of Americans from that region.

In a statement Tuesday, Blinken described it as a “complex repatriation and resettlement” which was “coordinated closely with our interagency partners.”

“As a part of this operation, the United States also facilitated the repatriation of six Canadian citizens, four Dutch citizens, and one Finnish citizen, among them eight children,” he added.

The top US diplomat noted that 30,000 people from more than 60 countries remain in the al-Hol and Roj camps in northeast Syria, “the majority of whom are children.”

Al-Hol camp is a sprawling encampment for those displaced from the former ISIS territory in northeastern Syria.

“The only durable solution to the humanitarian and security crisis in the displaced persons camps and detention facilities in northeast Syria is for countries to repatriate, rehabilitate, reintegrate, and where appropriate, ensure accountability for wrongdoing,” Blinken said.

“The United States remains committed to helping those nations which seek to repatriate their nationals from northeast Syria, and to finding solutions, including resettlement, for those who are unable to return to their communities or countries of origin,” he said.

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