Are these young women victims themselves who've learned a hard lesson?
They were very committed to ISIS doctrine when they elected to go to Syria, join ISIS. and marry Jihadists. If western countries allow them to return and blend into the population, won't some of them raise those kids to become terrorists? Is it too risky to let them return?
The Kurds have them now but don't want them. They're asking home countries to accept responsibilities for their own citizens. Some of them have been shipped to Iraq where the Shia government and legal system are predisposed against them.
Some observers say that is is the westerners who came to Syria to join ISIS who are the most radicalized.
Children who have lived under ISIS control have experienced horrific events – violence, acute deprivation, and bombardment. Now they languish in dangerous camps in north-east Syria, where many children are sick and malnourished.
I suspect most western governments wish that the problem would just go away but that isn't likely.
My leaning is toward no mercy. The usual portrayal of women as victims isn't always true.
However, I think it is unfair to the Kurds to leave them on the hook. Those camps would likely become a breeding ground for more terrorism if those mothers and children are kept grouped together for years.
It is a tough issue. What to do? What to do?
What are your thoughts?