AL-BAGHOUZ, Syria — As family members of Islamic State (ISIS) member flee their last bastion east of the Euphrates in Syria, children of the extremists are dying on a daily basis.
The Kurdish Red Cross says they were not expecting this large number of displacement.
"There too many young children. They suffer from severe malnutrition caused by the blockade. The situation of the children is very bad. The influx has caused us a great deal of pressure. We call on all international organizations to come and help provide a better care," Ali Issa, a medical worker at the Kurdish Red Cross told Rudaw.
Ahmad Mohammed is an ISIS fighter from Morocco. He claims that about 10 children die every day in Baghouz because of the lack of medical and basic needs.
"One of my children died because of illness, starvation and the blockade. And just recently in Baghouz, my nephew died. Most of the newborn babies are all dead except for a few," he told Rudaw.
They will be biometrically screened by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) who will send them to camps and separate men from women and children.
"The fate of the children is in the hands of God. The issue is not that … It is the fact that every Muslim should migrate to the place where Allah's sharia is being implemented," Mohammed added.
Despite the impending defeat, he does not regret coming to Syria to join ISIS.
Reintegration of children raised in the "caliphate" will present a problem to authorities in Rojava, elsewhere in Syria, the Kurdistan Region and Iraq. Few NGOs are able to provide psychosocial services.
They are asking for help from the outside to cope with the unfolding situation.
Reporting by Hunar Ahmed