Belgium takes back six orphaned Islamic State children-SDF
Belgium has taken back six orphaned children of Islamic State members from Syria, the U.S.-backed militia which is holding thousands of militants and their family members said late on Thursday.
"This must be extended to men and women in our camps and prison, not only children," Mustafa Bali, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), said on Twitter, announcing Belgium's move.
The SDF controls the quarter of Syria east of the Euphrates river after driving back Islamic State in a series of advances from 2015 that culminated in March with the group's defeat at its last territorial enclave in Baghouz, near the Iraqi border.
However, it says it is unable to indefinitely hold the thousands of Islamic State fighters and members and their families who surrendered during its offensive.
