NUR-SUKTAN / ex ASTANA (Satrapia) — Kazakhstan’s foreign ministry announced yesterday that its country has finally managed to repatriate from Syria 12 of its nationals involved in the Islamic State (IS, ISIS), including seven children.

Among those repatriated, the ministry explained that those involved in terrorist acts will be prosecuted accordingly.

The repatriated individuals are four men, one woman and seven children, two of whom are orphans. In accordance with Kazakhstan’s legislation and its international commitments, those involved in terrorist activities will be prosecuted.

Orphans are in the care of close relatives, and the government commits to providing them with all necessary assistance. The woman and children will benefit from rehabilitation and resocialisation programmes.

Since the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, Islamism has become a real threat in Central Asia. The region has been one of the centres of recruitment of jihadists for the Islamic State. In 2019, Kazakhstan launched a campaign for the return of its citizens who had been involved in terrorist activities in Syria.