19:42, 7 March 2019

Son of Makhachkala woman to be returned from Syria, Chechen authorities announce

A woman with children, Kirkuk, Iraq, October 4, 2017. Photo: REUTERS/АКО Рашид

An 11-year-old son of a woman from Dagestan, who asked Ramzan Kadyrov to help find him, has been found in Syria, the Chechen authorities report.

Today, an 11-year-old native of Dagestan, kidnapped from a refugee camp in Syria, will be delivered to Grozny, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent has been informed by an official from the administration for the Chechen leader and government.

The official has explained that, according to the authorities, the boy was taken to Syria by his father, who joined militants. The man was killed, and his son stayed in a refugee camp under the care of a woman from Dagestan.

According to the various estimates, hundreds or thousands of children from Dagestan, Chechnya, and other regions of the Caucasus may still stay in Iraq and Syria.

The Chechen authorities use returning women and children from Syria and Iraq for propaganda purposes, residents of the republic believe.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on March 7, 2019 at 12:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Source: CK correspondent