Woman and her two children rescued from IS-held area

KUALA LUMPUR: A Terengganuborn woman, her five-year-old daughter and two-year-old son are the first Malaysians to be repatriated from Syria on Oct 6, said Tan Sri Mohamad Fuzi Harun.

The Inspector-General of Police said the 31-year-old woman, who wanted to be known as Aisyah, was keen to return after her Malaysian husband died while fighting with the Islamic State (IS) in February.

He said it took three weeks to plan the operation as it involved multiple agencies – Bukit Aman’s Counter Terrorism Division, the Malaysian Embassy in Turkey and the Turkish National Intelligence Organisation (MIT).

“We had to act fast as the situation at her settlement in Idlib, Syria, was getting more volatile with Syrian forces, assisted by the Russian army, were preparing to launch their largest attack on the area to free it from militant control,” he said.

Mohamad Fuzi said four other groups of Malaysians wanted to escape the horrors of IS in Syria.

He said the four adults and seven children had contacted and sought assistance from Bukit Aman.

“It is still in the planning stages. We have to consider security and risks faced by the team sent to help them,” he told a special press conference in Bukit Aman yesterday.

The Special Branch Counter Terrorism Division has so far identified 54 Malaysians – 23 men, 11 women, 12 boys and eight girls – still in Syria, the IGP added.

“Since 2013, we discovered that 102 Malaysians have gone to Syria.

“At least 11 of them have returned home while 37 men have been killed in Syria and Iraq.

“The remainder are still in Syria with IS,” he said.

Mohamad Fuzi said some of them were trapped in Deir Ez Zour and Al Bukamal districts.

“They moved around a lot because of offensive operations by Syrian and Russian forces on IS and rebel strongholds.

“Others are at refugee camps in northern Syria while some are imprisoned by Syrian rebels,” he said.

Mohamad Fuzi said authorities were genuinely concerned about these Malaysians and advised them to return.

“They should take the opportunity given by the government and police who want to bring them back, especially those who had repented,” he said.

The IGP urged those in Syria to contact the Bukit Aman operations centre at 03-2266 3333 or 03-2266 3444 if they wanted help to return.

“We will review on a case by case basis,” he said.