A mum who gave birth to a child under the brutal ISIS regime has begged the UK government to allow her 'innocent' son to grow up in Britain.
The boy, known as David (not his real name), is thought to be the only surviving detained child in the camps of north-east Syria, with both parents originating from the UK. Despite being too young to have participated in any of the horrific acts committed by the extremist group, he remains confined alongside his mother after she was captured during the downfall of ISIS in 2019.
They live behind the fences of al-Roj camp, a grim home to former Islamic State brides and their children, representing a staggering 59 different nationalities behind its barbed wire perimeter.
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David's father is meanwhile being held in one of the region's high-security, fortress-like prisons, reports the Express. His mum, severely injured during the Coalition airstrikes against Islamic State, told the outlet: "I can't talk, I have the shrapnel, I talk really slowly.
"It's really hard for me here, I want to go back to my family, to England and they can take care of David. I am tired and cry so much when he is asleep, I try to keep a positive face for him and I want him to go back to my family, because there is no one for him here."
David, who says he is "eight-and-a-half" when asked his age, was recently physically attacked by another child, his mum claims. She explained: "He got smacked two days ago, someone hit him in the face. He was upset, anybody can do anything here, there is no one to protect us."
"I shouldn't have come here, but he is innocent, and he needs to go back to the family in the UK."
David spoke of his love for a British-made cartoon called The Amazing World of Gumball, and when asked where he would like to go if he ever departed al-Roj camp, he responded: "I would like to go to England, I would like to go to school." The youngster gave a nod when asked if he would excel in the classroom, and mentioned that he would like to study "maths and English".
Explaining the mood inside the camp, the mum said: "A lot of women are losing it here, mentally, socially, and psychologically, they are not right.
"If we had an ending, that would be ok, six years, seven years, like a sentence... but we haven't. I am half paralysed, I had two pieces of shrapnel in my neck, but they took one of them out with an operation in January last year."
When questioned about Nigel Farage's remarks in January regarding Britain potentially having to accept the return of ISIS prisoners, she said: "I hope they do, please take us back, for David's sake.
"If I could go back and speak to myself before coming here with my husband, I would have never-ever come to Syria."
A spokesperson from the Home Office said: "Our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so."
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