The Biden administration has successfully repatriated a family of 10 American citizens who were stranded in desert camps and detention centers in Syria. The family had been held by a Kurdish-led militia that fought against the Islamic State. In addition to the family, the US also brought back a pair of half brothers, one of whom is a 7-year-old American citizen. The other boy, said to be 9 years old, is not an American citizen and his resettlement marks the first time the US has taken in a non-American national from the war zone.
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken announced the transfer on Tuesday, stating that it involved 11 American citizens, including 5 minors, as well as the non-US citizen sibling of one of the minors. Blinken called it the largest single repatriation of US citizens from northeast Syria to date. The names of the individuals involved were not released in the announcement, but two officials confirmed that 10 of them were part of a family previously reported on by The New York Times in September.
The family consists of a woman named Brandy Salman and her nine American-born children, ranging in age from about 6 to 25. The successful repatriation comes after months of diplomatic efforts by the Biden administration to bring the American citizens back home. The family and the two half brothers are now safe in the US, away from the turmoil in Syria. This marks a significant milestone in the US government’s efforts to assist American citizens in dangerous situations abroad.
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