Kazakhstan Evacuates Kazakh Citizens from Syria as Continuation of Jusan Humanitarian Operation

NUR-SULTAN – Kazakhstan returned 12 Kazakh citizens, 4 men, 1 woman and 7 children caught up in the Syrian conflict to Kazakhstan as a continuation of the Jusan humanitarian mission, the Kazakh Foreign Ministry press service reported on Feb. 4.

Kazakh military officer is carrying a child during Jusan humanitarian operation in 2019. Photo credits: egemen.kz.

The operation was carried out by the Kazakh National Security Committee in collaboration with the Kazakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S. support and other international partners.

The group consists of 4 men, 1 woman and 7 children, including 2 orphans.

In accordance with national legislation and international commitments, people involved in terrorist activities must be prosecuted.

Orphans will be transferred to the care of close relatives and the government will ensure all the necessary assistance be provided to them. The woman and children will be provided with rehabilitation and adaptation programs.

The operation to repatriate citizens from war prone zones, sanctioned by the Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, is a continuation of the Jusan Operation, launched by the initiative of the First Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

In 2019, Kazakhstan evacuated a total of 595 Kazakh citizens seduced by terrorist propaganda, including 406 children, among them 31 orphans, 156 women and 33 men. The name of the operation, Jusan, is translated as bitter wormwood from Kazakh, which is often associated with the scent of the steppes and an association with the motherland in Kazakhstan.

The international community has expressed interest in Kazakhstan’s Jusan operation regarding the return, rehabilitation and adaptation of believers and see it as an excellent example for other countries to follow.


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