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Three French Nationals Taken to Syria as Children File War-Crime Case Over Forced ISIS Recruitment

The move tests France’s repatriation stance by pressing for victim status for coerced child fighters.

Overview

  • The three men, who filed in Paris on Friday, say ISIS forced them into combat, propaganda or policing roles when they were 11 or 12.
  • They are now jailed in Iraq after a recent mass handover from Syria that moved about 5,700 detainees of 61 nationalities.
  • French anti-terror judges have also issued search warrants for them in separate probes that examine alleged offenses from their time in Syria.
  • One formal complaint and two judicial alerts were lodged in early April, citing the war crime of recruiting or using under‑18s in a non‑international conflict.
  • Case files describe Mehdi’s propaganda training from ages 12 to 16, Yacine’s appearance with a Kalashnikov before capture by Kurdish forces as a minor, and Sofiane’s reported enlistment in ISIS police, while their lawyers seek recognition as war victims and criticize harsh Iraqi prison conditions.