Russia repatriates 27 children of IS members from Iraq

MOSCOW – Russia’s Emergencies Ministry says it has repatriated 27 children who are family members of the Islamic State Group jailed in Iraq.

The children, aged between 4 and 13, were flown to Moscow on Monday abroad the ministry’s plane.

Russian children’s rights ombudswoman Anna Kuznetsova said about 50 Russian children who still remain in Baghdad’s prison will be flown to Russia soon.

Kuznetsova’s office has said previously that it had information nearly 700 Russian children taken by their parents to combat zones in the Middle East.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that over 4,000 Russian citizens and some 5,000 citizens of other ex-Soviet nations have joined the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq.