Bloodlines

Introducing Bloodlines

From BBC Sounds, BBC Asian Network and CBC. Syria. 2018. ISIS is on the brink of defeat. Two-year-old Salmaan disappears amid the bombardment. In London, his grandfather desperately searches for answers. After the war against the Islamic State was won, what became of the children of its fighters? There are thousands of kids like Salmaan, with roots in Canada, the U.K., the U.S. and beyond — They were taken to IS or born there. Now they are trapped there without a way back home. Investigative reporter Poonam Taneja has covered the terror group for a decade and now embarks on a dangerous journey to find out what happened to Salmaan and all the kids like him, left behind in the Syrian desert. And she speaks to the grandparents trying to get them home. Bloodlines will be released weekly, beginning Oct. 23, 2023.

1. The Lost Boy

Two-year-old Salmaan disappears in the chaos of the final days of the war against Islamic State (IS) group. In London, Salmaan’s grandfather, Ash, has been desperate for answers ever since. Poonam travels to Syria to find out what happened to Salmaan and the thousands of children like him. From BBC Sounds, BBC Asian Network and CBC, Bloodlines will be released weekly beginning October 23, 2023.

2. Race Against Time

Bombs drop as Poonam enters Syria, blocking access to the areas she needs to get to. If things get worse, the troops guarding IS prisons say they will be forced to abandon their positions. The team makes contact with Salmaan’s Canadian family, learning what they believe happened to him and his mother. Poonam and her team see up close the dangers still facing children here.

3. Breakthrough

Poonam finally gets into the prison camp where the women and children of suspected IS fighters are being held. There, she meets a Canadian woman who has information about baby Salmaan. But it’s clear she isn’t telling Poonam everything.

4. DA's Secret

Poonam returns to DA, now knowing her true identity. What was IS like through her eyes? What can she tell Poonam about some of the terror group’s most heinous crimes?