Iraqi refugee shot dead in al-Hol

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — An Iraqi refugee was found dead in Syria's al-Hol camp on Sunday, according to a news outlet affiliated to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the latest in a number of murders in the camp in northeast Syria (Rojava).

Internal Security Forces (Asayish) found the body of Manal Khalil Ibrahim, 26, who was shot in the head, in the first section of al-Hol camp, the North Press Agency (NPA) reported.

Khalil's murder marks the third killing since Asayish forces, in cooperation with the SDF and the Women's Protection Units (YPJ), launched an operation against Islamic State (ISIS) sleeper cells in the camp in late March.

On April 2, Asayish announced they had made 125 arrests in a five-day operation, with the SDF announcing another 31 arrests the following week.

Several Iraqis have been killed in al-Hol this year. Another body of an Iraqi refugee was found inside the camp on Saturday, NPA said.

Al-Hol is home to around 61,000 people, mostly women, and children linked to ISIS militants. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has previously condemned conditions in the camp as "filthy and often inhuman."

Nearly half the camp’s residents, more than 30,000, are Iraqis, according to data provided to Rudaw English by Sheikhmus Ahmed, who supervises the administration of Rojava’s  IDP and refugee camps.

There were 16 deaths in the camp in April, according to a report from the Rojava Information Center.