Operation: Jusan: A story of rescue and repatriation from Islamic State

Kazakhstan government sent five humanitarian missions to repatriate citizens from Syria between January and September 2019. These missions were known as Operation: Jusan and involved the de-radicalization and rehabilitation of returnees. Erlan Karins involvement in the missions took him from the planning stages to the extensive programs that followed the airlifts. Karin also examines the motives of the returnees in joining the would-be Caliphate and the role of women and children within it, weighing up the risks of returning trained terrorists to their mother country.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 258 pages
Publication date: 30 April 2021
Publisher: Momentum Books

Between January and September 2019, the government of Kazakhstan undertook five humanitarian missions to repatriate over 600 of its citizens from Syria. Thirty-three of these individuals were adult males, while the remaining were women and children. The women had left Kazakhstan to join the Islamic State, either out of personal conviction or at the request of their jihadi husbands. Some of the children had accompanied them. Others had been born amidst the horror of the war in Syria and Iraq, and the consequences of violent ideology; they knew nothing else of life. These missions, collectively known as Operation: Jusan, were emblematic of the Kazakhs' connection to the steppe. Erlan Karins involvement spanned from the planning stages to the extensive de-radicalization and rehabilitation programs that followed the airlifts. In this revealing account, Karin shares the full story of a high-stakes mission that required delicate diplomacy, precise timing, and immense courage. Drawing on extensive firsthand accounts from the returnees, Karin also delves into their motivations for joining the would-be Caliphate, examining the roles of women and children within it, and assessing the risks of returning trained terrorists to their mother country.

Between January and September 2019, the government of Kazakhstan undertook five humanitarian missions to repatriate over 600 of its citizens from Syria. Thirty-three of these individuals were adult males, while the remaining were women and children. The women had left Kazakhstan to join the Islamic State, either out of personal conviction or at the request of their jihadi husbands. Some of the children had accompanied them. Others had been born amidst the horror of the war in Syria and Iraq, and the consequences of violent ideology; they knew nothing else of life. These missions, collectively known as Operation: Jusan, were emblematic of the Kazakhs' connection to the steppe. Erlan Karins involvement spanned from the planning stages to the extensive de-radicalization and rehabilitation programs that followed the airlifts. In this revealing account, Karin shares the full story of a high-stakes mission that required delicate diplomacy, precise timing, and immense courage. Drawing on extensive firsthand accounts from the returnees, Karin also delves into their motivations for joining the would-be Caliphate, examining the roles of women and children within it, and assessing the risks of returning trained terrorists to their mother country.

Weight: 472g
Dimension: 135 x 215 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911475538