Syria
Al-Hol camp in Hasaka, northeastern Syria (Rojava) on December 6, 2021. Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Eighty-two families linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) left northeast Syria's (Rojava) al-Hol camp on Sunday, heading to the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, according to a war monitor. This move marks the latest effort by Rojava authorities to empty the camp.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 82 families, consisting of 346 people, left the notorious camp. This move aligns with the decision by authorities in Rojava to reduce the camp's population.
This was the second batch of Syrian families to leave the camp in recent months. In May, 254 people from 69 families left the camp and returned to Deir ez-Zor.
The return of the families came following coordination between the Rojava authorities and the tribal chiefs in Deir ez-Zor.
Tens of thousands of people joined ISIS from across Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) captured more than 10,000 ISIS militants and their families during the conflict. The majority of them are Syrian or Iraqi, and about 2,000 are from other countries. The fighters are kept in detention centers while the families are kept in camps.
The majority of the ISIS family members are held in al-Hol camp, which houses 45,355 people, mostly women and children. This number includes 21,633 Syrians and 17,022 Iraqis, according to the latest figures from the US-led global coalition against ISIS.
The camp has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism, with authorities describing it as a “ticking time bomb.” Camp residents come from various countries; the majority are Syrian and Iraqi.
In March, the SDF called for a “global solution” on the issue of the international ISIS fighters detained in Rojava.
“We call for broad international participation in restoring public infrastructure ravaged by terrorism. Additionally, the issue of ISIS detainees requires a global solution,” read a statement from the SDF.
The SDF also warned that ISIS still poses a threat to the world and the region, as the group seeks to rebuild itself through its sleeper cells.
“The complete eradication of ISIS from our region and the world requires dismantling its ideological breeding ground. ISIS is still trying to recruit new terrorist elements, attempting to radicalize them into its ranks,” said the SDF, calling on the international community to “collaborate effectively” with its forces.
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