Iraqi lawmaker presses government on fate of children abducted by ISIS from Tal Afar

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The head of the Turkmen Bloc in Iraq's parliament, Arshad al-Calici, has reopened the file of children abducted by ISIS, asking the government for information on the whereabouts of Turkmen children taken from Tal Afar. In a statement released Thursday, al-Calici said Iraq's existing comprehensive compensation law for ISIS victims excludes many Turkmen, Shabak, al-Ali al-Zaydi and Christian children, leaving their rights unprotected. The lawmaker called for the law's scope to be expanded to cover the families of those killed in ISIS attacks and the relatives of abducted children, and urged the government to take the necessary steps to determine the fate of the missing children from Tal Afar and surrounding areas and return them to their families. Al-Calici said victims deserve justice and those responsible must be held to account. He added that he will continue to follow the issue and participate in parliamentary work on a proposed amendment to the law. No further details on the case were immediately available.