Denmark repatriates child of Danish Islamic State member

A 13-year old Danish boy has been rescued out of Syria by the Danish authorities.

The boy is severely injured with a leg paralysis after being shot, and he was unable to get the required aid at the Al-Hol refugee camp, where he was living with his mother and siblings.

ISIS supporters
The boy’s father was an Islamic State fighter who lost his life in Syria, and his mother openly supported IS. 

According to DR, the boy was shot in the back during fighting in the Syrian city of Baghouz.

Treatment overseas
The evacuation took place on Sunday when Kristof Vifik from the Danish Foreign Ministry arrived in northern Syria to take the child.

The boy was driven out of Syria in an ambulance and will now be treated at a hospital outside of Denmark until his health is restored.

Kurdish flexibility
Pre-evacuation, an agreement was signed between the Kurdish community of Syria and the Danish Foreign Ministry to enable the operation. The Kurdish authorities do not usually let children be taken without their mothers accompanying them.

However, special consideration was made in this case due to the boy’s deteriorating health and lack of proper treatment.

More Danes at the camps
The 13-year-old’s mother refused to give an interview, but confirmed she granted permission for her son to be taken and would now like to return to Denmark with the rest of her children.

A total of 25 women and children of Danish descent are currently living in such camps in north Syria.

Slowly and surely
Earlier this month, two children with Danish/French backgrounds were extracted from camps in northern Syria and taken to France in close co-operation with the Danish authorities.

However, this was the first time that Denmark acted alone. Many other EU countries – including Belgium, Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands – have also begun the retrieval of orphans.