(RTL) A year after his interview with RTL, a return to Luxembourg still looks highly unlikely for Steve Duarte.
Duarte is still being held in a Kurdish prison in Al-Hasakah, a city located in northeastern Syria. His wife Fatoumata Diallo and their two children, a four-year-old boy and a three-year-old girl, are being detained not far away from him. In 2020, she attempted an escape, but was eventually recaptured by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). She has been held together with her children in a camp in Al-Hasakah ever since.
Duarte was captured in March 2019 by Kurdish forces near Al-Baghuz Fawqani, a town close to the Syrian-Iraqi border. He has since disputed ever joining IS forces. Born in Luxembourg, the Portuguese national travelled to Syria via Turkey back in 2014. Despite their low chances of success, Duarte and his family want to return to Europe.
