Canada responds to claims it's not helping citizens in Syria

Ladies stroll in Roj detention camp in northeast Syria Wednesday, Feb. 9, 2022. (AP Picture/Baderkhan Ahmad)

BEIRUT --
Canadian officers are working with Syrian Kurdish authorities and worldwide organizations to collect data and assist Canadian residents being detained in Syria, a Canadian authorities spokesman mentioned Thursday.

Sabrina Williams, spokesperson for Canada's Ministry of International Affairs, cautioned that her authorities's skill to offer consular help in Syria is “extraordinarily restricted.”

Williams' feedback to The Related Press got here in response to accusations by Human Rights Watch that Canadian authorities had been stopping a Canadian lady and a toddler detained in northeast Syria from returning house for life-saving medical therapy.

The New York based mostly worldwide rights group recognized the 2 “gravely sick” Canadians as Kimberly Polman, 49, and a toddler underneath age 12. It withheld additional particulars concerning the youngster, who is just not associated to Polman to guard their privateness.

The AP had earlier this month met Polman on the Roj Camp in Syria the place she has been for 3 years. She regarded drained and mentioned she was affected by kidney illness, hypertension and different issues. She additionally mentioned she had contracted hepatitis 4 occasions whereas within the camp, in addition to pneumonia. Williams didn't elaborate on what the Canadian authorities intends to do, saying that legally, “no additional data will be disclosed.”

There are almost 50 Canadian nationals caught in camps in northeastern Syria. A few of them have been held since even earlier than the Islamic State group misplaced the final sliver of land in its self-declared caliphate in March 2019. Greater than half of Canadians held there are kids, most underneath age 7, HRW mentioned.

They're amongst tens of hundreds of girls and youngsters from about 60 international locations being held by U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters within the camps. A lot of them are wives, widows and youngsters of IS fighters.

A number of international locations have agreed to repatriate their residents however many others, together with Canada, have refused to take action.