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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| UK to repatriate first citizens from north-eastern Syria | UK to repatriate first citizens from north-eastern Syria |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| The UK government is to repatriate the first British citizens from the area of north-eastern Syria formerly under the control of the Islamic State (IS) group, the BBC has learned. | The UK government is to repatriate the first British citizens from the area of north-eastern Syria formerly under the control of the Islamic State (IS) group, the BBC has learned. |
| For security reasons, further details of the repatriation cannot be given. | |
| The individuals being brought out of the region will be returned to the UK in the coming days. | The individuals being brought out of the region will be returned to the UK in the coming days. |
| Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said the "innocent" children should "never have been subjected to the horrors of war". | |
| He added: "We have facilitated their return home, because it was the right thing to do. | |
| "Now they must be allowed the privacy and given the support to return to a normal life." | |
| IS once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq. | IS once controlled 88,000 sq km (34,000 sq miles) of territory stretching from western Syria to eastern Iraq. |
| The fate of foreign IS fighters and other foreigners caught up in the conflict has been a key issue since the defeat of the extremist group was declared in March 2019. | The fate of foreign IS fighters and other foreigners caught up in the conflict has been a key issue since the defeat of the extremist group was declared in March 2019. |
| The UK had been reluctant to take back citizens from the area. | |
| The United Nations has said countries should take responsibility for their own citizens unless they are to be prosecuted in Syria in accordance with international standards. | The United Nations has said countries should take responsibility for their own citizens unless they are to be prosecuted in Syria in accordance with international standards. |
| Human Rights Watch has described government-facilitated repatriations of foreign nationals as "piecemeal." | Human Rights Watch has described government-facilitated repatriations of foreign nationals as "piecemeal." |
| It says more than 1,200 foreign nationals have been repatriated from both Syria and Iraq to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Kosovo, and Turkey. | It says more than 1,200 foreign nationals have been repatriated from both Syria and Iraq to Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Russia, Kosovo, and Turkey. |