JAKARTA, Indonesia – Indonesia's deputy foreign minister says a Jakarta family who joined the Islamic State group in Syria out of an apparently naive belief it would give them a better life is now in Iraq and in contact with the Indonesian government.
Abdurrahman M. Fachir says Friday the family of 17, including young children, is safe but also indicated their journey won't be straightforward.
The government in Baghdad only controls parts of Iraq and the family's travel involves dealing with different authorities depending on what region they're moving through.
He says, "our representatives in Baghdad are trying to oversee this process."
Last month, an Associated Press team met with members of the family and reported on their journey two years ago from Jakarta to Raqqa, IS's self-proclaimed capital.
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