Fathers 'distraught' over nine children feared to be in Syria

The fathers of nine children feared to have been taken from Bradford to Syria are said to be "distraught".

Three sisters – Khadija Dawood, 30, Sugra Dawood, 34, and Zohra Dawood, 33 – and their nine children went on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia, but did not return home as expected last Thursday and have not contacted their families for a week.

Balaal Khan, a lawyer representing the three fathers, said the "main concern" was that the sisters might have travelled to Syria where their brother is understood to be fighting with extremists.

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The children, aged between three and fifteen, are believed to have boarded a flight from Saudi Arabia to Istanbul in Turkey, a commonly used route into Syria, on Tuesday 9 June, reports the BBC.

Khan said the fathers were "distraught" and want their children "out of harm's way".

Families of the missing women and children, all from Bradford, first contacted West Yorkshire Police after the group failed to return home on 11 June.

"West Yorkshire police are investigating the matter and have contacted the Turkish authorities," said Khan. "However, at this stage no progress has been made with any sightings or contact in Turkey. The family of the missing persons are extremely worried and feel helpless."

The children have been named as Maryam Siddiqui, 7, Muhammad Haseeb, 5, Junaid Ahmed Iqbal, 15, Ibrahim Iqbal, 14, Zaynab Iqbal, 8, Mariya Iqbal, 5, Ismaeel Iqbal, 3, Haafiyah Binte Zubair, 8, and Nurah Binte Zubair, 5.

However, Khan said preliminary inquiries showed no log of Haafiyah and Nurah Zubair boarding the flight to Istanbul.

It is the largest group from Britain suspected of trying to reach Syria, says The Times, and will "fuel the belief that the authorities' figure of 700 Britons having travelled to the war zone is an underestimate".