Blinken warns fight against ISIS is ‘not yet done’

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday warned that the fight against the Islamic State (ISIS) was “not yet done” and called on countries to repatriate their citizens languishing in camps in Syria. 

Speaking at a ministerial meeting for the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS in the Saudi capital of Riyadh, Blinken highlighted the most “urgent” areas that require attention in order to ensure the defeat of the terror group. He called for stabilization assistance in Iraq and Syria, repatriation of foreign ISIS members from prisons and camps, addressing the threat the group still poses in the Sahel region, and cutting its ability to raise funds. 

“Our progress is a testament to the strength of this coalition and the courage of our partners on the ground,” Blinken said of the achievements of the coalition since it was set up in 2014. 

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Blinken both urged countries to repatriate their citizens from Syria. 

“You must step up, you must take your responsibility, being part of a coalition means working with each other, means standing up for each other,” Farhan urged. 

Blinken stated that repatriation was critical to reducing the number of people in camps as well as the risk of them once again taking up arms. He added that 50,000 displaced people are currently being housed in the notorious al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria (Rojava), with over half of the children there being under the age of 12. 

“Leaving these children in camps condemns to lives marked by danger, denial of basic healthcare, denial of education, denial of hope,” Blinken said. 

The infamous camp is known for having a strong network with remaining ISIS groups on the loose, and it is often suspected to be an arena for ISIS operations.

“We know that repatriation is the only durable solution,” the secretary of state said. He praised the efforts done so far, highlighting that so far this year, 14 countries have repatriated nationals.

Blinken praised the Iraqi government, saying that it “has led the way” since 2021 by repatriating large numbers of nationals. Iraq has over the past year repatriated over 700 families from al-Hol.

The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in cooperation with the coalition forces arrested thousands of ISIS fighters and their wives and children when they took control of the group's last stronghold in Syria in March 2019. Numerous prisoners and ISIS-affiliated family members are also held at Roj camp. 

ISIS controlled swathes of Syrian land in 2014 but it was territorially defeated by the SDF with aerial support from the anti-ISIS global coalition in 2019.