ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Kurdish-led security forces arrested more than a dozen Islamic State (ISIS) militants, seized communication equipment and uncovered a secret trench during a raid on Roj camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Saturday.
“16 members of the [ISIS] organization's cells and accomplices were arrested. It was confirmed that they were involved in communicating with foreign [ISIS] cells for the purpose of recruitment and smuggling families” from the camp, read a statement from the Kurdish Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in Rojava on Monday.
Roj is the smaller of the two camps in Rojava housing people with links to ISIS. The larger al-Hol camp houses some 40,000 people and has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism.
Both camps are located in northeastern Syria’s Hasaka province and are controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who have warned about a possible ISIS resurgence and the security risks posed by the camps.
The YPJ on Saturday added that the operation it led also saw the seizure of “advanced communication equipment that were used to coordinate with [accomplices in] the outside world.”
“This operation constitutes a new milestone in our ongoing path to combat terrorism, protect society from the threat of ISIS, and ensure a safe and stable environment for our people in Syria and for all peoples of the world,” stated the women-led Kurdish security forces.
The raid also uncovered a secret trench dug under the camp’s outer fence, which had been used for infiltration and smuggling activities.
Most of the people in the al-Hol and Roj camps are Iraqi or Syrian nationals. The Iraqi government has been repatriating its citizens in batches and enrolling them in rehabilitation programs before reintegrating them into their communities.
In the camps, there are also people from around the world who traveled to Iraq and Syria to join ISIS. Kurdish authorities in Rojava have repeatedly urged countries to repatriate their nationals, but many countries are unwilling to take them back due to security concerns.
