The Roubaisien Amine Elbahi, who was fighting to obtain the repatriation of his nephews detained with his sister in a camp in northeastern Syria, expressed Thursday his "
relief
" after the arrival in France of the two children in the night.
"
This is excellent news (...) but a half-victory because 40 children have been repatriated and there are more than 170 left in the Roj camp
", underlined to AFP this lawyer who was also LR candidate for the legislative elections in Roubaix.
Biggest repatriation operation
"
The jihadists hoped to recover them and create a new generation of jihad, (the repatriation of children) is perhaps the best response to the extremes, even if it had to intervene much earlier
", he welcomed.
Fifteen women and 40 children who were held in jihadist prison camps in northeastern Syria controlled by Kurdish forces arrived overnight in Villacoublay, near Paris.
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This is the largest repatriation operation to France of this type for three months, when 16 mothers and 35 minors were repatriated in early July.
Amine Elbahi says he hopes to be able to see his nephew and niece in the next few hours or days but is waiting for details on this subject.
“
I can't wait!
he confided.
The children, a 6-year-old girl and a 7.5-year-old boy, were handed over to Child Welfare.
“Worrying medical and psychological state”
“
We will take steps to recover them at home.
They will last about a year, I think it's completely normal
,” said the young man.
He underlines the "
rather worrying medical and psychological state
" in which the children find themselves, who "
have had a terrible lack of access to care and food in the camp
".
Read alsoRepatriation of families of jihadists: the ECHR inflicts a snub on France
His sister is for her part "
in police custody at Levallois-Perret
".
“
I am not speaking on behalf of my sister
,” he insists, distinguishing the situation of children from that of adults.
Already sentenced to 30 years in absentia for belonging to a jihadist sector, she should, according to him, be retried.