Three young orphans who are thought to be British have been found in a camp for people affiliated with ISIS in an area of north-east Syria, which has been under attack by Turkish-backed forces.
Two sisters, ten-year-old Amira, eight-year-old Hiba, and their brother Hamza who is thought to be eight years old, were found by the BBC in the camp.
It is believed they traveled with their parents five years ago from London to Syria. The children’s parents, older brother, and two sisters were killed in an air assault on Baghuz, which was under control by ISIS.
Baghuz fell to the Kurds in March 2019.
The BBC reported in an interview on October 13, 2019, that the children were discovered at the Ain Issa camp by a reporting team from the news agency.
In an interview with Amira, she said she wanted to return to the United Kingdom. She said that she has a grandmother, but does not know what her name was.
The orphans speak primarily Arabic but switch to English when together and have a London accent.
Hiba showed the reporters a large scar on her stomach from the violence which they had to endure.
Amira, whose last name is not known, told the BBC she left London when she was five years old. She said she remembered some of her life in the United Kingdom and said she would “go to a park, go to a funfair, go to a restaurant.”
The girl described in English the attack which left her parents and three siblings dead.
“They were hitting so much,” she said. “There was a little house and that big dusty mountain, and behind it, everybody was dead. In front of us was everyone who was not killed, the other people.
“We were going to pack our stuff and get out, the airplane came and bombed. So then my mum died, my littlest brother, my little brother and my sister. Then after that, all was getting on fire. We had to walk out.”
When asked about her future life, Amira said: “When I grow up, I want to get fruits from the tree, I like to get water lemon, I like to get strawberries, I like to get cherries, I like to get blueberries, apples, oranges, and bananas.”
A spokesperson from the United Kingdom government said: “There may be British children in internally displaced person camps in Syria who, because of their age, are innocent victims of the conflict. We look at all evidence to determine someone’s nationality and will examine every single case where we are asked for consular assistance, but this process is far from straightforward.”
Sources:
BBC: British orphans found trapped in Syria IS camp
The Guardian: Three orphans found in Isis camp under Turkish attack may be British
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