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Orphaned siblings rescued from Syrian camp | Orphaned siblings rescued from Syrian camp |
(32 minutes later) | |
Three orphans, thought to be from the UK, have been removed from a detention camp in northern Syria. | Three orphans, thought to be from the UK, have been removed from a detention camp in northern Syria. |
Amira, Heba, and Hamza, were taken to Raqqa along with 24 other orphans, the United Nations children's agency said. | Amira, Heba, and Hamza, were taken to Raqqa along with 24 other orphans, the United Nations children's agency said. |
The BBC spoke to 10-year-old Amira last week, when she described how her mother and father were killed during bombing. | The BBC spoke to 10-year-old Amira last week, when she described how her mother and father were killed during bombing. |
The siblings, whose parents are believed to have moved to Syria from London after joining IS five years ago, are now with Save the Children. | The siblings, whose parents are believed to have moved to Syria from London after joining IS five years ago, are now with Save the Children. |
Their mother, father, two sisters and two brothers were killed in April during the last battle in Baghouz before IS surrendered. | Their mother, father, two sisters and two brothers were killed in April during the last battle in Baghouz before IS surrendered. |
Amira, Heba, eight, and Hamza, six, were being held in Ain Issa - a camp which contained around 200 IS supporters but is now empty, following the advancement of Turkish troops. | |
Amira also said she had a grandmother in the UK but couldn't remember her name, and that she wanted to go home. | Amira also said she had a grandmother in the UK but couldn't remember her name, and that she wanted to go home. |
The UK government said it was continuing to look for relatives of the three children. | The UK government said it was continuing to look for relatives of the three children. |
BBC Middle East correspondent Quentin Sommerville, who met the children in the Kurdish-controlled camp, said: "They had a really last minute escape just before the Ain Issa detention camp fell... Turkish troops were advancing - the UN got in there and scooped up the kids". | |
The three orphans are now in the Syrian city of Raqqa. | |
"Damascus has in the past allowed the children of extremists to be repatriated to their countries, but only countries they have diplomatic relations with," our correspondent said | |
"Britain doesn't have any embassy or any consular assistance inside Syria. So it's going to be very complicated to get the kids out of there." | |
On Sunday, Kurdish officials said hundreds of IS-affiliated foreigners escaped from the camp amid a Turkish offensive. | |
It comes after the Turkish military launched a major cross-border operation in north-eastern Syria against a Kurdish-led militia alliance. |