Britain has quietly brought back a small number of women and children associated with Islamic State who were detained in Syria alongside Shamima Begum, according to officials running the camps where they have been held for years. The discreet returns, carried out without public announcement, highlight a sharp contrast between the government’s stated policy of refusal and a more cautious, case-by-case reality playing out behind the scenes.
The details emerged from al-Roj camp near the Iraqi border, run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, where Begum remains detained after being stripped of her British citizenship. A senior camp official told Times UK that six British women and nine children have been repatriated in recent years, even as dozens of others with British links remain in limbo. The returns have taken place amid growing fears that the chaos engulfing eastern Syria could lead to mass escapes from camps holding Islamic State prisoners and their families.
Al-Roj remains under SDF control for now, but its future is uncertain as the Syrian government moves to reclaim territory from Kurdish authorities. According to camp officials, 29 women and children who hold or once held British passports are still inside. The camp is expected to fall under the authority of Damascus, now led by President Ahmed al-Sharaa, raising questions about the safety and legal status of foreign detainees.
Shamima Begum’s case continues to loom large over the debate. One of three schoolgirls from Bethnal Green who travelled to Syria in 2015 aged just 15, Begum became a symbol of the controversy surrounding citizenship, radicalisation and national security after being located by The Times in 2019. Public outrage at the time prompted the Conservative government to block her return, a stance later extended to other women once the final Islamic State strongholds collapsed.
While unaccompanied minors have occasionally been allowed back to the UK under strict anonymity, children who remained with their mothers were largely left behind. Officially, the policy has not shifted. In practice, however, the Foreign Office has authorised a limited number of returns, primarily involving women who were taken to Syria as minors or who travelled before turning 18, allowing them to come back with their children.
A report published last November by the Independent Commission on Counter-Terrorism Law, Policy and Practice suggested that three adult women and 18 children had been repatriated, though only two cases were publicly acknowledged. It is now understood that additional families returned in 2024 and 2025, again without formal statements from the government.
These developments come as the UK prepares to resume deportations of foreign criminals and failed asylum seekers to Syria, following the collapse of the Assad regime in December 2024. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood confirmed last year that the government was exploring enforced returns for the first time in more than a decade, adding another layer of complexity to Britain’s evolving Syria policy.
Conditions inside the camps have long alarmed aid workers and security experts. In al-Hawl, the larger and more volatile detention camp, the handover to Syrian government forces descended into chaos, with riots, fires and reported escapes after Kurdish troops withdrew. The camp, once home to more than 40,000 people, became notorious for the persistence of Islamic State ideology, with children raised in tents on extremist beliefs and violence a daily reality.
Former al-Hawl director Jihan Hanan described the handover as heartbreaking, criticising the lack of preparation and what she called the international community’s indifference. She stressed that the camp population was far from uniform, ranging from hardline extremists to women and children who were coerced, misled or born into the group.
As the Syrian military presses forward, analysts warn that the fate of foreign nationals remains unresolved. Aaron Zelin of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy said the lack of coordination between Damascus, the SDF and the United States has left third-country nationals effectively abandoned. With few governments willing to accept responsibility, he warned, many could simply be left to languish in collapsing camps.
Human rights organisations argue that Britain’s reluctance to act has become untenable. Reprieve, which represents several British families detained in Syria, has renewed calls for a change in policy. Its chief executive, Maya Foa, said that while many of the UK’s allies have repatriated their citizens, Britain has taken what she described as a “do nothing” approach, bringing home only a handful of women and children across successive governments.
With regional instability growing and detention camps under increasing strain, the quiet returns now coming to light suggest that Britain may already recognise the risks of inaction. Yet without a clear, transparent policy, the question of what to do with the remaining women and children linked to Islamic State continues to hover unresolved, both abroad and at home.
