Syria
A commander of the US-led coalition attending a briefing on the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp on August 29, 2022. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The US on Wednesday commended Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) for carrying out a security operation targeting cells of the Islamic State (ISIS) in the notorious al-Hol camp, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.
“The operation will make the camp safer for those residents who remain or wish to return to their countries of origin, but are unable to do so,” CENTCOM Communications Director Joe Buccino stated while stressing that such operations to combat ISIS will continue.
Buccino reiterated previous calls by the US on the international community to repatriate their nationals from al-Hol camp, as most countries have avoided taking back their citizens due to security concerns.
Internal security forces (Asayish), in cooperation with the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the global coalition, launched operation Security and Humanity late August in al-Hol camp seeking to target ISIS cells in the camp.
CENTCOM said the operation “resulted in the arrest of dozens of ISIS operatives and the dissolution of a major ISIS facilitation network both within the camp and throughout Syria,” as well as the rescuing of four women in the camp who were “found in tunnels, chained and tortured by ISIS supporters.”
The camp is infamously known for the presence of ISIS members.
Al-Hol camp is located in Hasaka province and is home to around 56,000 people – mostly women and children of different nationalities that have links to ISIS. Droves of ISIS fighters were taken to the camp by the SDF after the Kurdish-led force overran the terror group’s last stronghold in Syria in 2019.
“The operation will make the camp safer for those residents who remain or wish to return to their countries of origin, but are unable to do so,” CENTCOM Communications Director Joe Buccino stated while stressing that such operations to combat ISIS will continue.
Buccino reiterated previous calls by the US on the international community to repatriate their nationals from al-Hol camp, as most countries have avoided taking back their citizens due to security concerns.
Internal security forces (Asayish), in cooperation with the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the global coalition, launched operation Security and Humanity late August in al-Hol camp seeking to target ISIS cells in the camp.
CENTCOM said the operation “resulted in the arrest of dozens of ISIS operatives and the dissolution of a major ISIS facilitation network both within the camp and throughout Syria,” as well as the rescuing of four women in the camp who were “found in tunnels, chained and tortured by ISIS supporters.”
The camp is infamously known for the presence of ISIS members.
Al-Hol camp is located in Hasaka province and is home to around 56,000 people – mostly women and children of different nationalities that have links to ISIS. Droves of ISIS fighters were taken to the camp by the SDF after the Kurdish-led force overran the terror group’s last stronghold in Syria in 2019.
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