Syria
A member of Kurdish internal security stands guard as women lead children ahead of departure during the release of another group of Syrian families from al-Hol in Hasaka governorate, northeastern Syria on January 28, 2021. Photo Delil Souleiman/AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Two people were shot, one fatally, in northeastern Syria’s al-Hol amid rising violence in the camp housing tens of thousands of mainly women and children, some of whom have suspected ties or allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) group. The latest shootings come as the United Nations’ counterterrorism chief has called the camp one of the world’s “most pressing issues.”
“Two more assassinations in two days,” the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who control the northeastern Syria region known as Rojava, tweeted early Sunday morning. “A 21yr Syrian female was shot and killed, whilst an Iraqi male survived with gun shot wounds.”
“ISIS poses a grave danger to the residents of AlHol,” the SDF added.
Al-Hol houses nearly 62,000 refugees and displaced Syrians, the largest camp in the country. More than 80 percent of them are women and children. Foreigners in the camp, from Europe, Asia, and North America, are families of ISIS members. Most have been living in the camp since the territorial defeat of the group in 2019.
On Friday, the UN’s counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov urged countries to bring home the 27,000 children stranded in the camp, telling a Security Council meeting that “the horrific situation of the children in al-Hol is one of the most pressing issues in the world today.”
There have been several security incidents in the camp in recent months, including stabbings and shootings of guards and staff of aid organizations, as well as escape attempts.
“We are seriously concerned over the deteriorating security situation in al-Hol camp in northeast Syria,” said the spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian organization (OCHA) Jens Laerke in Geneva on January 22.
His agency had received reports of 12 murders of Syrian and Iraqi residents of al-Hol in the first two weeks of January.
The SDF has been releasing groups of Syrians, most recently on January 28, and the Kurdish authorities in Rojava have repeatedly appealed to governments to repatriate their nationals. Many European nations, however, are reluctant to do so, citing security concerns, though they have made exceptions for children on a case-by-case basis.
“Two more assassinations in two days,” the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who control the northeastern Syria region known as Rojava, tweeted early Sunday morning. “A 21yr Syrian female was shot and killed, whilst an Iraqi male survived with gun shot wounds.”
“ISIS poses a grave danger to the residents of AlHol,” the SDF added.
Al-Hol houses nearly 62,000 refugees and displaced Syrians, the largest camp in the country. More than 80 percent of them are women and children. Foreigners in the camp, from Europe, Asia, and North America, are families of ISIS members. Most have been living in the camp since the territorial defeat of the group in 2019.
On Friday, the UN’s counterterrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov urged countries to bring home the 27,000 children stranded in the camp, telling a Security Council meeting that “the horrific situation of the children in al-Hol is one of the most pressing issues in the world today.”
There have been several security incidents in the camp in recent months, including stabbings and shootings of guards and staff of aid organizations, as well as escape attempts.
“We are seriously concerned over the deteriorating security situation in al-Hol camp in northeast Syria,” said the spokesperson for the UN’s humanitarian organization (OCHA) Jens Laerke in Geneva on January 22.
His agency had received reports of 12 murders of Syrian and Iraqi residents of al-Hol in the first two weeks of January.
The SDF has been releasing groups of Syrians, most recently on January 28, and the Kurdish authorities in Rojava have repeatedly appealed to governments to repatriate their nationals. Many European nations, however, are reluctant to do so, citing security concerns, though they have made exceptions for children on a case-by-case basis.
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