Children from different countries, including Russia, have been sold to Daesh jihadists, according to the Alsumaria broadcaster.
"The Office of the Inspector General of the Ministry is checking data about the possibility of cooperation between the director of the special needs department in Nineveh and an IS [Daesh] militant on the sale of the children who were placed in shelters at the time," the ministry's spokesman, Ammar Menem, was quoted as saying by the broadcaster.
The investigation is being conducted under the direct supervision of Labor Minister Mohammed Shia Sudani, Menem added. According to the broadcaster, the release of children and their return to the homeland was carried out under the ministry's supervision.
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In recent years, Iraqi authorities supported by the international community have been fighting against the Daesh terrorists, who have occupied vast territories of the Middle Eastern state. On December 9, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi declared an end of the country's struggle against Daesh after Iraqi troops reestablished complete control over the border with Syria.
As of today, about 100 women and children have returned to Russia from Iraq and Syria with the assistance of Chechen authorities. The return of Russian nationals from the Middle Eastern countries is implemented with the help of a special working group headed by Ziyad Sabsabi, Russian upper house parliamentarian and special representative of the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov in the Middle East and North Africa.