A Turkmen child abducted as an infant during a Daesh terrorist attack in Iraq more than a decade ago has been reunited with his family following a lengthy legal and rehabilitation process carried out under the supervision of Turkish authorities.

Ali Gazi Mohammed Jameel, now 12, was kidnapped at just 9 months old during a Daesh attack in Iraq’s Tal Afar region in 2014. After years of living in Türkiye without legal identity documents, access to education or medical care, the child was placed under state protection in Ankara in 2023. Following the completion of judicial and diplomatic procedures, he was formally handed over to his family from Iraq on Dec. 15 at the Iraqi Embassy in Ankara.

Ali Gazi belonged to a Turkmen family residing in Tal Afar, a region that was heavily targeted by Daesh during the group’s territorial expansion in 2014. During the same attack in which Ali Gazi was abducted, his parents and two older siblings were also taken. While the two siblings were later located, one in Iraq and the other in Syria, no information has since emerged regarding the fate of the child’s parents, who remain missing.

Years after the abduction, Ali Gazi’s whereabouts were identified in Türkiye following search efforts led by his uncle, who pursued information across borders. Investigations revealed that the child had been living in Ankara with an Iraqi woman identified as W.A. In 2023, Turkish police took Ali Gazi into custody under official supervision and placed him in a care facility affiliated with the Ministry of Family and Social Services.

In her statement to police, W.A. claimed that the child, whom they referred to as "Omar,” had been taken in because he was believed to be orphaned and was raised without malicious intent. After giving testimony, she was released pending further legal evaluation.

Authorities determined that Ali Gazi had lived for years without any official identity, had never attended school and had not received basic health care services, including routine vaccinations. He had also been largely isolated from social life. As a result, a comprehensive legal and protective framework was initiated to safeguard the child’s welfare.

During his time under state protection, Ali Gazi was placed in a children’s home in Ankara, where he underwent an extensive rehabilitation program supported by educators, psychologists and child development specialists. Officials reported significant progress in his physical, emotional and social development. Through supervised video calls, he gradually reestablished contact with his uncle and siblings, rebuilding family bonds that had been severed for years.

As part of the legal verification process, DNA samples taken from Ali Gazi were matched with samples provided by his uncle and siblings who traveled from Iraq, confirming familial ties. Upon completion of judicial procedures and coordination with Iraqi authorities, the child was formally transferred to his family.

Last week, Ali Gazi was reunited with his uncle, Faysal Çolak. The emotional reunion, captured on camera, marked the end of a prolonged and complex process and symbolized the reunification of a family fragmented by terrorism.

One of the family’s lawyers, Kadir Cem Temtek, stated that Ali Gazi comes from a Turkmen tribal family that had long been targeted for its resistance to terrorist groups in the region. He noted that during a Daesh attack on the Çolak tribe in 2014, the child’s parents and siblings disappeared. While the parents’ fate remains unknown, the two siblings were eventually rescued from Iraq and a Daesh-run orphanage in Syria through the family’s own efforts.

Temtek explained that Ali Gazi was brought to Türkiye as an infant and concealed by individuals who had no children of their own, moving frequently to avoid detection. Approximately 2.5 years ago, the family contacted legal representatives after suspecting that Ali Gazi might be in Türkiye.

Information, including photographs, identity records and location estimates, was submitted to the Ankara Provincial Police Department. Through coordinated efforts among Turkish law enforcement agencies, Ali Gazi was located and rescued during an operation in Ankara’s Mamak district in May 2023.

"When we found him, he had never attended school, never seen a hospital, had no social circle, no friends and no awareness of his identity,” Temtek said. "He had effectively lived in confinement. Socially and psychologically, he was in extremely poor condition.”

He added that during his time in state care, Ali Gazi learned about his identity, family background, homeland and cultural belonging. "He found a family in the Turkish state, and the state treated him as its own child,” Temtek said, noting the emotional moment when Ali Gazi bid farewell to his teachers and peers at the care home.

Another lawyer, Özkan Oğurlu, emphasized the severity of the child’s condition when he was first taken into protection. "He had spent 11 years without going outside, without medical care, and without vaccinations. At times, he barely reacted to his surroundings,” Oğurlu said. "Following rehabilitation, he began recognizing his family and clearly expressed a desire to reunite with them.”

Oğurlu also noted that during the embassy visit, Ali Gazi kissed the Iraqi flag, a moment that underscored his reconnection with his identity.

Ali Gazi expressed gratitude to Turkish authorities and caregivers. "I thank the Turkish state. May God bless them,” he said. "I love them very much. I miss my friends and the activities at the care home. I was very sad before, but now I have a father with me. He is my uncle, but I love him as my father. I want to be a police officer when I grow up.”

Ali Gazi’s uncle, Faysal Çolak, also thanked Türkiye, stating that the family was deeply grateful for the care and efforts that made the reunion possible.