“Welcome back to Kyrgyzstan,” Shukur Shermatov greets the twenty women in her class. Though this institution is anything from traditional, he is sporting a classic felt cap. The students, who are women returned from camps in Syria where they ended up after living with the Islamic State group, are housed inside two rings of military security.
The wives and kids of alleged IS recruits spend the first six weeks of their repatriation at the rehabilitation center, which is nestled into the northern Kyrgyz mountains.
Being among the first guests, our BBC World Service team is closely watched by the state intelligence agency, much like the locals.
Shukur carefully explains their first lesson to the women, who listen to him the entire time. Anger management, religious ethics, and citizenship are all included in the course. There are posters on the wall that provide advice on managing your emotions.
In addition to the re-education program, the families receive medical care, psychological assistance, and enough food, water, and shelter for the first time in many of them in years.
Repatriating these women, who claim they unintentionally accompanied their husbands, dads, and siblings into a conflict zone, has proven difficult for several nations. The devastation left by the so-called caliphate has obscured what actually happened to them there, including what they did and how much they knew. Officials, sometimes thousands of miles away, must now decide if someone is the victim or the offender.
For the time being, at least, the Kyrgyz government has chosen to handle them gingerly as the former. Police are looking into nine of the ten.
We meet a woman wearing a purple headscarf as we are escorted into a basic dormitory with four single beds following the session. For her safety, we are referring to her by her given name, Fatima. The scene outside her little window, which is overlooking a frozen lake, is remarkably dissimilar from the Syrian camp she has left behind.
“This place’s calmness is its key feature. It is highly appreciated by all. The kids adore it. She takes a moment to enjoy the quiet. “The calm.”
In 2013, Fatima made the decision to follow her spouse to Turkey when he indicated his wish to work there. There was a grandson, two adult sons of Fatima, and her daughter. She says that until she saw IS guards and heard the roar of jet planes overhead, she had no idea they were in Syria.
When we asked whether she really didn’t know where they were going, she claimed, like many of the women we encountered, to be uneducated and that it was normal for a woman to follow her husband.
She lost her husband and son a few days after they arrived in Syria. Her son was shot by a sniper, and her husband was burned to death when a bomb struck his car. Her other son got sick soon after and passed away.
Unable to flee, the ladies lived in Iraq and Syria for almost six years under the cruel tyranny of IS, where Fatima’s daughter had more children. Following the expulsion of IS fighters, Fatima, her daughter, and her four grandkids found themselves in al-Hol, the largest detention facility in Syria for alleged IS fighters and their families. Desperate to return home, they stayed there for four years.
“Children were constantly screaming, and women were ill. We were pleading with them to allow us to go,” she recalls. “We just about made it. Everyone was shocked when Kyrgyzstani representatives arrived to pick up the first group.”
Her daughter and grandchildren were informed in October that they would be returning home, but Fatima was left behind.
When they informed me that I wasn’t on the list, I sobbed. How did I not make the list? She sobs, “I’m their mother!” “However, I’m thrilled to be here and will soon return to my family. I’m happy that my grandkids can attend school. I want children to pursue science so they can gain a deeper understanding of reality.”
Fatima, who is 57 years old, is the oldest patient in the rehabilitation facility. As part of a fresh repatriation operation, Kyrgyzstan welcomed back from Syria 110 mothers and 229 children in 2023. Last year, only Iraq returned more citizens home.
Kyrgyzstan is planning to repatriate a minimum of 260 women and children, following years of advocacy by families of those stranded in Syria. The intention is to grant a second opportunity to those whom the government considers to be victims.
Even Nevertheless, after completing the reintegration course, all of the returnees are questioned and kept under constant observation. According to the president of the Kyrgyz national security council, nine out of ten are the subject of criminal investigations. Charges that might be brought against you include sending children into a conflict area or supporting terrorism. However, no one has been charged as of yet.
Talking about their time in Syria is sometimes met with resistance from the ladies due to ongoing surveillance and the possibility of legal action.
We get a peek of this surveillance when Elmira, who has completed her stay at the rehabilitation center and is currently starting over in a town outside of the city, Bishkek, agrees to talk with us.
Her social worker called us shortly after we made the appointment to visit her, to let us know she would also be attending the interview. The family recognized the two counter-terror police officers who were present when we got there. Following considerable deliberation, they decided to wait outdoors.
Elmira says a man she met online conned her into traveling to Syria. Four days after turning eighteen, she took a plane to meet him in Turkey after he persuaded her to do so. She believed they would be happy together.
When she arrived, though, she was met by a different man who claimed to be her friend and drove her across the Syrian border for 17 hours. She says it was too late to stop it by the time she realized what was going on.
She had two marriages. After a few months following her first husband’s death, she married a man from Dagestan and had his child. She says they were searching for a way out before he was killed by a rocket attack, but she won’t elaborate on what he was doing in Syria.
Elmira claims that the time she believed her kid might not be alive was the toughest. When rockets struck their neighborhood, she had left her young daughter at home. Elmira went home crying, terrified for her child.
“She was only terrified when she was carried out by someone, but she was alive and well. Other children who were nearby killed when the neighbor’s house was struck.”
Elmira and her daughter also ended up in the al-Hol camp, much like Fatima.
“I’m still in shock at this. She says, “I don’t always know if I’m dreaming when I wake up in the middle of the night. “I want to express my gratitude to everyone who didn’t give up on us and helped us escape.” We are aware that not all nations follow suit.”
Elmira requested that we withhold her true name from her while she trains to be a seamstress. She has made the decision to keep her background a secret after witnessing the social media reactions to some Kyrgyz people’s repatriations.
She states, “It isn’t pleasant.” Many of us are perplexed as to why they fear us. They frighten us! Many believe that we have returned with suicide belts and machine rifles. That isn’t how it is. We are human beings, just like them. Families exist among us as well. We have kids as well. Additionally, we desire to live contented and tranquil lives.”
“And why tell people, when I myself want to forget?” Elmira continues. “At the time, I was eighteen. I am currently 27 years old. I’ve come to realize my naivete.”
Hamida Yusupova, Elmira’s mother, started a campaign organization for parents of girls who traveled to Syria and spent the last ten years pleading with the Kyrgyz authorities to bring back her daughter and granddaughter.
Syria can be a one-way trip, as we all know. You begin to realize that your child may not return home,” the speaker continues.
“I’m grateful that she’s returned home and that I’ve finally met my granddaughter. However, Elmira has lost nine of her childhood years. It’s been a while.”
There were more tears than words during their reunion at the rehabilitation center when Hamida arrived to pick them up.
Elmira had given birth to a child. She was aware of the difficulty involved in raising a child for eighteen years, just to have them inform you one day that they are “going to work,” close the door, and vanish into Syria. Hamida remarks, “I wouldn’t wish it on any mother.”
“Mum, please forgive me, please forgive me, was all Elmira could say. Nothing more. Aside from that, she informed me of my advanced age.”
Hamida and Elmira are fully aware that not everyone in their immediate vicinity will be understanding.
Like many of its neighbors in central Asia, 90% of Kyrgyzstan’s population identifies as Muslims, and during the rise to popularity of IS, a UN-designated terrorist organization, Kyrgyzstan was a key source of recruits for IS.
Hamida believes her daughter was only foolish and a victim of cunning men. But, Elmira-like Kyrgyz women we spoke with expressed concern that the returns may radicalize others, particularly in light of how the Taliban retook Afghanistan.
“As a mother, I’ve encountered many taunts and insults. My child shouldn’t have to hear that. Hamida says, “I don’t want people to label my child a terrorist and point fingers at her.”
Edil Baisalov, the deputy prime minister, is eager to highlight the repatriation program as evidence of Kyrgyzstan’s tolerant democracy and concern for its entire population.
The greatest thing, in my opinion, is that they move on from the nightmare they experienced and that no one in their families or communities will ever know about it. that everyone is only an honorable Kyrgyz citizen “, he informs us.
Mr. Baisalov is aware that there is controversy around this topic, especially in some Western nations. He was the UK’s former ambassador, appointed just after the British passport of Shamima Begum, one of three schoolgirls from London who joined IS, was revoked.
Additionally, the deputy prime minister wished to make a political statement. Since the contentious 2020 elections and the enactment of new legislation, human rights organizations have cast doubt on Kyrgyzstan’s standing as an island of democracy in central Asia.
“For Kyrgyzstan, this was not an easy decision,” he stated. Obviously, we practice a moderate kind of Islam. With great regard for other religions, this is a very tolerant Islam. As a small country, we must look out for one another. even of individuals who make errors.”
The UN agency for children, Unicef, supports the plan, which is deemed “commendable” by Sylvi Hill, who oversees their repatriation operations in Kyrgyzstan. According to her, “all governments to facilitate the return, rehabilitation and reintegration of their children affected by conflict” is what Unicef is requesting.
The women we spoke with expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to try again, but they are also aware that there are still over 50,000 people from all over the world living in camps in northern Syria with no route out.