US repatriates 11 US citizens from northeast Syria
Source: CNN Politics
Updated 9:31 PM EDT, Tue May 7, 2024
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” that was “coordinated closely with our interagency partners.” All of the repatriated citizens are part of one family and none are former ISIS fighters, a State Department official told CNN.
An American woman repatriated to the United States is facing criminal charges for training with ISIS abroad, according to court documents unsealed Tuesday. Halima Salman was one of the 11 US citizens who were repatriated Tuesday, according to a US official. CNN has not been able to identify a lawyer for Salman and has reached out to the State Department for comment on the charges against her.
There are tens of thousands of people, “the majority of whom are children,” from more than 60 countries who remain in two sprawling encampments – Al-Hol and Roj – in northeast Syria, according to Blinken.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/07/politics/us-citizens-syria/index.html
