Two hours ago a special flight delivered from Syria to Grozny the largest group of women and children rescued in the hot spots of the region. More than 40 citizens of Russia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan arrived in the capital of Chechnya. These are families of those who incorporated radical ideas and joined the ranks of militants, making their relatives hostages. Their search and return home became a real special operation. Alexei Baranov has the details.
They are back. They're going to meet with their loved ones. Everything that happened before will remain in memory: “I wish every mother to experience what I'm feeling now. Let every mother whose children are there reunite with them”.
It's Grozny, the children and their mothers will go to their homes from here. All flights have been canceled in Qamishli Airport, located at the border with Turkey. Russian military transport aircraft land at sunset.
Kurdish militiamen, who liberated this region of Syria from the militants, decide to hold a meeting in the dark for security reasons. There are more than 40 people: women who were beguiled by their husbands into going here. Many of the children rescued today were born in the war.
Madina returns to her native Dagestan. She's telling us how she ended up in Syria: “I was told that I will live in Turkey. I learned everything only when I got here. It was terrible, houses in ruins, wounded people, I lost all my family, my mother, my little brothers.”
Malika does not hide her joy. Terrible years, passed, really, in the militants' grip, are over. It was very scary, almost everything was destroyed there. Poor children.
Without any exaggeration, it's a real special operation, says General Alexei Kim, head of the Russian Center for Reconciliation: "These are our compatriots, they got there by a twist of fate, not voluntarily. It just happened. They shouldn’t suffer".
Senator Ziyad Sabsabi personally controls such an important operation. 3-4 people go over there, on the right. It's the order of the head of the Chechen Republic.
Ziyad Sabsabi: "Without the support of the Russian officers, particularly, the Russian Defence Minister, the Chief of the Russian General Staff, the Commander of the Russian troops in Syria we could never achieve such success. We express our deepest gratitude".
A long way home starts in a Russian military aircraft.
And this is the Khmeimim base. Perhaps, it's the first time that children have chosen their clothes and shoes by themselves. Each of the rescued is a witness to the crimes of the I.S. militants. 13-year-old Abdullah tells the story of his friend: "He was carrying a woman who had had her legs shot off. When he was leaving, they bludgeoned him for touching a woman. There happened many things like that."
The liberated women say that now things will go differently. The road home will go very quickly. Ladies, it's cold outside, dress your children in warm clothes!
Alexei Baranov and Alexander Malyshev for Vesti from Syria.
