OTTAWA –

The Global Affairs Department says six Canadian children have been repatriated from detention in northeastern Syria.

The department says the focus is now on protecting the children’s privacy and ensuring they receive the support and care needed to begin a new life.

Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who has been assisting the family, said the children arrived safely in Montreal, where a specialized clinic is helping settle them.

He recently said the children’s mother, who is from Quebec, had been denied help by Ottawa to return to Canada on security grounds.

Greenspon said the woman managed to leave al-Roj detention camp, but that her whereabouts were unknown.

The Canadians were among the many foreign nationals being held in centres set up after the strife-torn region was reclaimed from militant group Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 7, 2024.