RCMP arrests two women after they return to Canada from ISIS camps in Syria | Globalnews.ca

Two Ontario women were arrested on terrorism allegations on Thursday after returning to Canada from camps in Syria for captured ISIS suspects.

Dure Ahmed and Ammara Amjad were to appear in court in Brampton, Ont., north of Toronto, after police sought terrorism peace bonds against them.

They were among four women the Canadian government brought out of Syria on Wednesday, along with their children.

The Ontario court confirmed the arrests, along with their lawyer. They do not yet face any criminal charges.

Peace bonds impose a list of conditions on suspects that can include wearing an ankle bracelet and taking part in a de-radicalization program.

On Thursday, Global Affairs Canada said it had taken four women and 10 kids out of Syria and returned them to Canada.

But the repatriation did not go as planned.

Six Canadian women were meant to return but two could not be found, said Lawrence Greenspon, the Ottawa lawyer representing the women’s families.

They did not shown up at a designated meeting point, and the plane left without them, he said. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

The women are sisters-in-law from Edmonton. One of them has three children.

The Canadians were taken prisoner by U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters in northeast Syria in the years leading up to the defeat of ISIS in 2019.

The federal government initially declined to help them, but officials agreed to bring them back after their families appealed to the Federal Court.

“Around the world, like-minded countries are taking steps to repatriate their respective citizens from northeastern Syria,” Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

“Amidst reports of deteriorating conditions in the camps in northeastern Syria, we have been particularly concerned about the health and well-being of Canadian children.

“As long as conditions allow, we will continue this work.”

Upon arriving back in Canada, Ahmed and Amjad were arrested by the RCMP, but a third Ontario woman was not taken into custody. The fate of the fourth woman remains unknown.

The RCMP did not respond to questions about the matter.

The arrival of the women brings to seven the total number of adults who have returned to Canada from camps in Syria for ISIS suspects.

All are women. Only one has been charged with terrorism offences to date. Four others were arrested on peace bonds and released.

Canada has struggled to bring charges against so-called Canadian Extremist Travellers, with police citing the challenges of collecting evidence from overseas war zones.

National security agencies have instead relied on peace bonds, surveillance, the no-fly list and refusal of passports.

“Where there is sufficient evidence, law enforcement and public safety agencies will independently take the necessary steps to keep our communities safe,” the GAC statement said.

“We reiterate that it is a serious criminal offence for anyone to leave Canada to knowingly support a terrorist group and those who engage in these activities will face the full force of Canadian law.”

Photos released by the administration that controls Kurdish-majority northeast Syria showed its officials meeting three Canadian envoys on Wednesday.

The Canadians were shown with representatives of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) and the YPJ Women’s Protection Units.

“During the meeting, the two sides discussed the political situation in Syria in general and northern and eastern Syria in particular, and the humanitarian, economic and security situation in the region,” the AANES said.

“At the end of the meeting, four women and 10 children from ISIS families were handed over, according to an official handover document between the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the State of Canada.”

The United States welcomed Canada’s repatriation of the 14 women and children, and said it had supported the operation.

“Repatriation is the only durable solution for this population, most of whom are vulnerable children under the age of 12,” said U.S. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel.

“Separately, 10,000 ISIS fighters are being held in detention facilities across the region.  This constitutes the single largest concentration of detained terrorist fighters in the world and remains a threat to regional and international security.”

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