AKIPRESS.COM - UNICEF Representative to Iraq, Mohammad Al-Sheikhi, and President of Iraqi NGO Gates of Justice, Feraz Laiq Hasan, have told Asia-Plushow they revealed Tajik children and why it is necessary to deal with integration of the repatriated children.

Feraz Laiq Hasan says it was a long process that started in 2017. According to him, they identified children by DNA tests. “Media reports earlier said that there are 95 Tajik children in Iraq, but we now speak about 85 children and 84 of them have already been brought to Tajikistan, and now there is only one Tajik baby in Iraq with his mother who is serving her jail term in Iraq,” Feraz Laiq Hasan said, noting that 43 Tajik mothers are serving their jail terms in Iraq.

Children repatriated to Tajikistan are under 16 and more than 85 percent of them have relatives. They will be placed with family members and the children who do not have relatives will be sent to orphanages.

Mr. Mohammad Al-Sheikhi said Tajikistan and Iraq do not have an agreement on extradition of prisoners, and therefore, the Tajik authorities cannot bring Tajik women serving their jail terms in Iraq to Tajikistan. Besides, Tajikistan has taken efforts to repatriate about 300 women and children from Syria.

The majority of children were attending ISIS schools where they were taught bad things, including wrong interpretation of Islam.

Therefore, the Government of Tajikistan and all international organizations should work heartily with them in order to help them begin new life and integrate into society.

According to Feraz Laiq Hasan, ISIS militants taught children to beat and kill and see enemies and “kafirs” in all people. “For example, I saw with my own eyes how children were taught math using the example of the quantity of grenades and “kafirs. Teachers explain math like this: “two grenades plus two grenades equal to four grenades” or “if you killed one kafir and then killed five others it will equal to six killed kafirs.”