The Social and Security Challenges of ISIS Children: A Ticking Bomb Threatening Community Peace
Dr. Shihad Ghaleb Ali
Several years after the end of what is known as the terrorist organization “ISIS” in Iraq and its defeat in 2017, the file of families suspected of being linked to ISIS still presents paramount security and social challenges, especially regarding their children. These issues continue to threaten the safety and security of Iraqi society. The problem arose due to the nearly three-year presence of these terrorist groups in Iraqi cities and their marriages to Iraqi women through threats, coercion, or acts of rape committed by terrorists of various nationalities. These children are treated as individuals of unknown identity and lineage, living in secured camps with their mothers in Syria and Iraq, awaiting their unknown fate. In the Al-Hol camp in Syria, for example, children account for 42% of the camp’s residents, with ages ranging from 5 to 10 years. Iraq is moving toward repatriating its citizens from these camps for several reasons, including humanitarian and rights-based considerations, despite ongoing security and legal concerns. Many families from Al-Hol camp in Syria have been transferred to Al-Jada’a camp in Mosul.
