Germany brings home more nationals from camp in Syria

BERLIN - Germany brought home four women and seven children Wednesday from a camp in northeastern Syria where suspected members of the Islamic State group have been held, along with a young man who was taken to Syria as an 11-year-old, officials said.

Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in a statement she was relieved that with Wednesday's operation — the sixth so far — “almost all known cases could be concluded.”

Baerbock said the four women and the young man “will have to answer for their acts” and were taken into custody on arrival in Germany. She didn't give further details, but stressed that the children carry no blame for their parents' decisions and “are ultimately also victims of IS.”

The latest repatriation from the Roj camp in Syria, following a six-month gap, brings the total brought back to Germany to 26 women and 76 children, as well as the young man.

Baerbock thanked Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria for their help in preparing and carrying out the operation and “our American friends for the logistical support.”