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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — Dozens of people, including an Islamic State (ISIS) "leader", were arrested during an operation conducted by the Kurdish-led security forces at al-Hol camp northeast Syria (Rojava), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) said on Sunday.
"5000 #Asayish members supported by the #SDF, #YPG & #YPJ were deployed on #Humanity_and_Security_Operation to protect residents of #AlHol Camp. 9 individuals, including Abu Saad Al #Iraqi, an #ISIS leader were detained," the SDF said on Sunday evening.
The SDF-affiliated Hawar News Agency (ANHA) reported on Monday afternoon that an additional 23 arrests were made at the camp on the second day of the operation that began at dawn on Sunday.
The operation was launched with the aim of eliminating ISIS sleeper cells in al-Hol, believed to be responsible for the uptick in murders at the camp.
Forty-five people have been murdered at al-Hol since January 1, 2021. According to data provided to Rudaw English by the Rojava Information Centre (RIC), 20 people were murdered at the camp in January, and 10 were murdered in February. The SDF said last week that 15 people have been murdered at the camp in March.
Al-Hol is currently home to around 61,000 people, mostly women and children linked to ISIS militants. Almost 40,000 of them are foreigners.
The UN and human rights organisations have urged countries to take back their citizens in Rojava and put the adults on trial for their suspected crimes.
“The foreign detainees have never been brought before a court, making their detention arbitrary as well as indefinite,” Human Rights Watch (HRW) said last week.
In his tweet sent on Monday morning about the operation, SDF commander Mazloum Abdi called on foreign countries "to take back their citizens & give more humanitarian support to al-Hol to improve the conditions & stability in the camp".
A hidden tunnel was found inside the camp on Monday, ANHA reported.
“In addition to the tunnel, military uniforms hidden by the gangs were seized. Several laptops and phones were also seized during the search,” reads the ANHA report.
The operation is expected to continue for several days, the news outlet added.
Updated at 3:16 pm
Additional reporting by Khazan Jangiz
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