June 20, 2017 (KHARTOUM) - The Sudanese National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) on Tuesday brought home eight children whose parents have joined the Jihadist Islamic State (ISIS) in Libya.

The representative of the Anti-Terrorism Department at the NISS, Brig. Gen. Al- Tigani Ibrahim, told reporters at Khartoum airport upon arrival of the kids they are exerting significant efforts to repatriate the Sudanese who have joined the Islamic group in Libya.

He added that 8 children have been brought back, pointing to ongoing contacts in coordination with the Libyan Red Crescent to bring back 4 others who are currently present in the town of Misrata.

The security official thanked the Libyan Attorney General’s Office and the Misrata County as well as the Sudanese Embassy in Tripoli and the Sudanese community, pointing to continued efforts to repatriate mothers of the children from Libya.

For his part, the head of the Sudanese community in Misrata Muataz Mirghani said the Libyan authorities have fully cooperated with them to return the children to Sudan, pointing to ongoing efforts to bring back mothers of those kids who are being detained in Libya.

He added that 6 women who joined ISIS are currently held in Libya, saying fathers of some of the children have been killed while the fate of the rest is unknown to the Libyan authorities.

Mirghani stressed all fathers hold the Sudanese citizenship.

Last February, the NISS brought back a four-month-old baby girl whose parents were killed in Libya while fighting for ISIS.

In 2015, the Ministry of Interior in Khartoum announced that about 70 Sudanese had gone to join the ISIS franchises, both in Libya and Syria.

However, experts on Islamic groups put the total number of the Sudanese fighters within ISIS at 150 Jihadists, saying that 56 of them had travelled to join the extremist organisation from countries other than Sudan.

They say that 35 of them have been killed in Iraq and Syria while 20 others have died in Libya.

(ST)