Not aware that there are Norwegian prisoners of war in Syria
Norwegian authorities are not aware that there are Norwegian citizens among the prisoners of war held by Kurdish militia in Syria.
The Kurdish YPG militia in northern Syria has taken thousands of prisoners of war either accused of having warred for the extreme Islamist group, ISIS, or to sympathize with them.
Many of the prisoners of war are civilians, among them around 800 women from 40 different countries, according to Human Rights Watch.
The Norwegian Secret Branch of the Police (PST) estimates that around 40 Norwegian citizens have joined ISIs in recent years. How many of those who are still alive and where they now can be found is not known.
However, the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs does not believe that there are Norwegian citizens among YPG’s prisoners of war or in Syrian prisons for that matter.
– The Foreign Services is not aware that Norwegian citizens are imprisoned in Syria, says communications adviser Guri Solberg to NTB on Wednesday.
– Neither are there any among those who are in Kurdish captivity, she stresses.
© NTB Scanpix /#Norway Today
