Livia Albeck-Ripka, a reporter for The Times in Melbourne, joins Kamalle Dabboussy, a father striving to rescue his daughter Mariam and her children from a Syrian detention camp. They discuss the harrowing impact of U.S. troop withdrawals, intensifying fears associated with terrorism, and Kamalle's heart-wrenching advocacy for his family's safety. He navigates political and public apprehensions while illustrating the broader crisis faced by families of individuals tied to ISIS, all while fighting to redefine what it means to protect one's loved ones amidst chaos.
32:54
forum Ask episode
web_stories AI Snips
view_agenda Chapters
auto_awesome Transcript
info_circle Episode notes
question_answer ANECDOTE
Unreachable
Kamal tries to call Mariam but can't reach her.
A woman's voice is heard yelling before the call cuts out.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Complex Future
Despite the stress, Kamal maintains composure during the road trip.
He discusses his hopes and anxieties about Mariam's return.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Deal with Syria
News breaks overnight that the Kurds struck a deal with Syria.
Women in the camp fear being handed over to the Assad regime.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Yesterday on “The Daily,” we met Kamalle Dabboussy, who said his daughter had been tricked by her husband into joining the Islamic State. His daughter and three grandchildren are being held in a Syrian detention camp for the relatives of ISIS fighters.
When we left off, Mr. Dabboussy had just received a call from a journalist that suggested his family’s situation was about to become far more precarious. President Trump had announced that he would withdraw U.S. troops from the Syrian border, and Kurdish forces who had been guarding the prisons were expected to abandon their posts, leaving the detainees’ lives in imminent danger.
Today, we follow Mr. Dabboussy’s struggle to convince the Australian government that his daughter and her children are worth saving — despite their ties to the Islamic State.
Guest: Livia Albeck-Ripka, a reporter for The Times in Melbourne, Australia, spoke with Kamalle Dabboussy, whose daughter Mariam is trapped in Syria with her children. For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily.
Background coverage:
Here’s the first episode in this two-part series, in which we introduced Kamalle Dabboussy and his fight to bring his family home from a war zone.
Mr. Dabboussy is one of a cohort of parents in Australia lobbying the government to help release their loved ones from detention camps in northern Syria.
The Daily 
