This week Russian children in Baghdad's orphanage have become one of the most high-profile topics. These are children whose parents fought on the side of militants. Russia Today journalists sounded the alarm. To return them home, a special commission was created.
The heads of Chechnya and Dagestan took personal control of the issue. My colleague Alexander Rogatkin has spent several weeks filming a big story about children in Syria and Iraq. There are hundreds of them, according to him. We're looking for this boy. He was taken here from Russia, his father took him to ISIS. Have you seen him? -No, I haven't. I don't remember meeting him. -He's in Mosul. This boy. Maybe, somebody remembers him. There were Russians, I'm sure, though, women were all covered. We have long and vainly been looking for Nuryana Ibragimova's son throughout the Middle East.
The father dragged the family to the ISIS, in Raqqa, Syria. The mother made 3 attempts to escape with her son. Instead of stoning her, the Sharia court expelled the woman, permanently depriving her of the possibility to see her son. I've spent 3 years searching. I have never ceased to believe, not for a single day, that I'll find him. I know that Allah will help me. She came to the coalition headquarters, looked for her son in the streets of the belligerent Mosul and even accompanied local police in the underground tunnels of the city. That's where Russian speaking children were found after the liberation of the ISIS capital.
The children were sent to Baghdad. Nuryana missed them. But her Hadith wasn't among them. I have looked again at all the photos and seen all the videos. My son isn't there. There are several girls and boys, found in the ruins of Mosul and taken to the Baghdad orphanage. They don't remember their parents, their surnames or how they have got in the midst of war. They only remember fire and explosions. The city of Mosul was shelled. My mother and sister are lying near the river. They are together. Dad was lying on a rock, he's dead. He closed his eyes.
Seems like this 8-year-old girl saw her parents die. When a plane was throwing missiles on our house, everyone died. They were only told that their fathers became shakhids, heroes, who died in jehad. What's your Dad's profession? Dad is already a Shakhid. My Dad and his Dad are Shakhids. Her Dad is a Shakhid, too. Now it's very hard to find out who were their parents who brought their children to this hell. For the time being, only Zalikha Ashahanova had a chance. Her ex-husband Khasan Tagirov stole his two-year-old son and took him to the war for a worldwide caliphate.
Kadyrov took personal control over the rescue of little Bilal. His father took him, I didn't know. I'd like to express my gratitude to our leader Ramzan Akhmatovich. The boy was found after the storming of the old Mosul streets. The four-year-old child with his father miraculously survived the bombing.
Khasan Tagirov was sent to prison, and, after negotiations with Chechnya leadership, the Iraqi authorities let his son return home. Say that you are a Chechen! I am a Chechen! Well done! Khadizhad Magomedova from Khasavyurt found her nephew, 3-year-old Ali, among these children. She lost all hope to see him alive. Last time her sister had contacted her from Mosul in January. She said that her husband was dead, and she and the child couldn't get out of the besieged city. Of course, I immediately identified my nephew. Naturally, it was very painful when he said: "Everything was on fire". Fire. Fire everywhere. It's very hard. I don't justify my sister and his son-in-law for what they did. They should think of where they took their children, where they brought their children, deceiving everyone.
Only now it became clear what a problem this is. Dozens of Russian children ended up with their fanatical parents in the war. The Iraqi authorities report that more children have been found apart from those in the Baghdad orphanage. Some names and surnames are known. Zainab Ahmadova found two grandchildren. Though, two more died. Anyway, I waited for 4. But I'd be happy to return at least two. Christina is a Russian girl from the Krasnodar region. An orphan, she married a Dagestan and found herself with four children in Mosul. She wrapped herself in black. There she was called Amina. In April, her husband and two children died in a massive bombardment.
Christina herself managed to text her mother-in-law that she was in a hospital. A big mosque was opened here in Derbent. And all young people went there to pray. It was in that mosque that my son learned this namaz. Then he started to talk about all young people leaving for Syria. I fell on my knees for him, held his knees, begged, asked, Manap, don't leave, please, I don't want you to leave. I have everything, but I'm empty. I don't have my son next to me.
Now there is a long and complicated procedure to establish kinship and gather documents. Both in Chechnya and Dagestan commissions are urgently set up to return babies home. The Iraqi authorities might believe on the bare word if children recognize their families. For those born on the ISIS territory, DNA testing will be needed. We can't just ask them to give this or that child because they look like they could've been born to our hapless terrorist. No, it won't work. Legislation still exist. Nuryana keeps re-watching videos of the rescued children.
If so many babies have been found, her son will be found, too, for sure. Maybe, it's the only thing I want in my life, to live up to this meeting, this happy moment. I never cease to hope, not for a single second, that he will arrive. I hope that they'll help my son, find him, I know that he's safe and sound.
