One year ago, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) was declared “defeated.” Since then, much attention has been given to the fate of its male foreign fighters, in particular the security concerns regarding their return. Less attention has been given, however, to the children of these fighters—both those born in Iraq and Syria and those brought by their parents to the region.

It is estimated that about 12 percent of the more than 40,000 foreign ISIS affiliates are minors. Thousands of children are also likely to have been born in Iraq or Syria to at least one parent of foreign origin. As high as the numbers are, they do not include those minors who were born in or are currently in besieged areas, those born without proper civil registration, those who authorities have lost track of, or those that are simply unknown to authorities.