The boy, referred to as David to protect his identity, is believed to be the only surviving child of detained British parents still living in the camps of north-east Syria. Now eight years old, he has never known life outside conflict and confinement, yet he dreams of going to school in England and studying maths and English.
David and his mother are confined at al-Roj camp, a desolate facility that houses former ISIS brides and their children from nearly 60 different countries. His father, meanwhile, is held in a nearby high-security prison. The boy’s mother, who was severely injured during coalition airstrikes and lives with shrapnel in her body, describes their existence as unbearable.
“I am tired and cry so much when he is asleep,” she admitted in a recent interview. “I try to stay positive for him, but I want him to go back to my family in the UK, because there is no one for him here. I shouldn’t have come to Syria, but he is innocent.”
Life in the camp has taken its toll on David. His mother revealed he was recently struck in the face by another child, a reminder of the dangers and lack of protection inside the compound. Despite this, David shows resilience and hope. When asked where he would like to go if given freedom, he answered simply: “I would like to go to England, I would like to go to school.”
The mother, partially paralysed from her injuries, admits regret over her past choices. “If I could go back and speak to myself before coming here with my husband, I would never have come,” she said.
The Home Office has responded cautiously, stating: “Our priority remains maintaining the safety and security of the UK and we will robustly defend any decision made in doing so.”
The case highlights a moral dilemma faced by Britain and other Western nations: whether to bring home children of former ISIS members, who are themselves innocent victims, or to maintain a hardline stance against any returnees. For David, however, the question is far more personal. He longs for a normal childhood, a classroom, and a future beyond the barbed wire fences of al-Roj camp.
