France repatriates children from Syrian camps that UK said were ‘too dangerous’ to reach

Foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was too dangerous to rescue children from camps in Syria

France has repatriated several young children from camps in northern Syria, a move which could set a precedent for other European countries whose citizens are also stuck there.

The five children were either orphans or separated from their parents in displacement camps, which are home to tens of thousands of Isis families who fled the terror group’s shrinking territory over the past few months.

The French foreign ministry said most of the children were under the age of five, while not detailing their links to France. It reiterated that it would not bring back any French adults detained in Syria on suspicion of being Isis members.

The move comes as Western nations are struggling to decide what to do with their citizens who went to Syria to join Isis.

There are believed to be more than 800 European citizens currently detained in Syria on suspicion of fighting for the terror group, and an unknown number of women and children family members.

The fate of Shamima Begum, a 19-year-old British woman who left the UK to join Isis four years ago, has been hotly debated over the past few weeks.

The death of Ms Begum’s three-week old baby last week sparked criticism of the British government’s refusal to repatriate any of its citizens, including children, from camps where nearly 100 infants have perished in the last few months.

In the aftermath of the death, foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt said it was too dangerous for UK officials to travel to the camps where they were being held.

"We have to think about the safety of the British officials that I would send into that war zone as a representative of the government", he said.

Those camps, which are visited regularly by journalists and aid groups, have been overwhelmed as more and more flee the last remaining areas of Isis. More than 62,000 are now living in al-Hol camp, surpassing its capacity and leaving thousands sleeping out in the cold.

The Independent understands there are around seven other British women in the camp, and as many as 20 children.

Thousands of men and women left Europe to join the Isis caliphate when it was declared in 2014.

At that time, it stretched across two countries over thousands of miles, but over the past few months its territory has been reduced to a tiny pocket in eastern Syria. All but a few hundred of its former members have been killed or ended up in the custody of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, as have their families.

The home secretary, Sajid Javid, has previously said that he would move to block any British citizen suspected of joining Isis from returning.

Mr Javid said of Ms Begum’s case: “My message is clear: if you have supported terrorist organisations abroad I will not hesitate to prevent your return.”