Govt involved in boys' return from Syria

GOVERNMENT today said it was intimately involved in the process which resulted in young Trinidadian brothers Mahmud and Ayyub Ferreira being brought home from Syria. In a statement, the National Security Ministry said the return of the boys was the result of the efforts of a special team created by National Security Minister Stuart Young.

Dubbed "Team Nightingale" this team was formed to deal with the possible repatriation and reintegration of TT nationals who have been held in refugee and detention camps in Iraq and Syria.

The team includes members of the Police Service; Financial Intelligence Unit; the Police Service's Child Protection Unit: Anti-Terrorism Desk of Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs; Counter Trafficking Unit; Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism Compliance Unit, Intelligence Services; Children's Authority; Police Service's Terrorist Interdiction Unit. Team Nightingale has been reporting directing to Young.

The team first met on August 14 last year. The team then held weekly and fortnightly meetings. The Ferreira brothers was one of the first matters which the team was dealing with. The ministry said the team learnt from the International Red Cross that the boys were being held at the Roj refugee camp in Syria. The team began a complex and detailed investigation and verification to determine the facts surrounding the two boys.

The team contacted the boys' mother Felicia Perkins-Ferreira and informed her about the boys being held in Syria. The ministry said, "It is noteworthy that her response was not an enthusiastic one." There was also no record that she had reported that the children were abducted by their father and taken to Syria or even out of TT.

Team Nightingale's verification and investigation process is a complex one. The process was paralleled with a process and procedure for repatriation and reintegration. This includes assessing the status of returning nationals. The ministry said this process is confidential and multi-faceted, balancing national security concerns and the public interest. The ministry noted there was an understandable amount of media interest generated about the Ferreira brothers.

But the ministry said there was little which could have been shared because of the sensitive nature of the matter, investigations and preparations for possible repatriation. When minors or adult nationals from the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria battlefronts return to TT, Team Nightingale and its elements have to assess them. This includes assessing the best environment for minors who may have experienced trauma of being in or around war zones and battlefronts.

The ministry said Team Nightingale would continue to do its work to protect the public and TT nationals. Information will be provided when appropriate to do so.