Kurdish authorities in north-east Syria on Monday (August 19th) handed over four children linked with the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS) to Germany, AFP reported.

"The autonomous region handed over four children from ISIS families to a delegation from Germany," said Fanar Kaeet, a foreign affairs official with the Kurdish authorities.

They included a boy and two sisters who had lost both parents, and a fatherless girl infant who was repatriated for health reasons, Kurdish authorities said.

All are under 10 years old, they said.

A spokeswoman for the German foreign ministry confirmed the handover to staff from its consulate in Iraq's Kurdish region at the Semalka border crossing.

"I can confirm that four children who were in custody in northern Syria were able to leave Syria," she said.

"The children were received on the Iraqi-Syrian border by staff of the consulate in Erbil and will be given to family members," the spokeswoman said.

"From there, the children and their family members will, we believe, travel to Germany."

A dozen children of alleged extremist fighters have been repatriated from Iraq to Germany since March.