ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Internal security forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) announced on Friday a new operation targeting the Islamic State (ISIS) in al-Hol camp where it said the jihadists are stepping up efforts to reorganize and carry out attacks.
The Asayish and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), with support from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), “announce today the launch of a security campaign to comb al-Hol camp and its surroundings,” the Asayish said in a statement.
The force said ISIS has launched several attacks targeting both civilians and security personnel and is ramping up efforts to rebuild its ranks and capabilities.
“In recent times, our region has witnessed many developments and events, both in military and political fields. These developments have given ISIS cells the opportunity to increase their movement and carry out terrorist acts,” the statement said.
A focus for the extremist group is al-Hol camp in Hasaka province that holds around 40,000 people from around the world, mostly Iraqis and Syrians, with alleged links to ISIS.
The camp “is seen as the fuse of a present and future disaster, especially due to the lack of fundamental solutions from the international community that leaves the heavy burden on the Autonomous Administration," the statement said, referring to the Rojava administration.
The camp has drawn international concern for its poor conditions and the risk its youth are being radicalized. The Iraqi government is slowly repatriating its citizens, but many nations have resisted taking responsibility for their nationals because of security concerns, despite repeated pleas by the Rojava administration.
The Asayish said ISIS has tried to smuggle people out of the camp and systematically targeted children and youth in the camp to indoctrinate them and spread its ideology. Humanitarian aid centers in the camp have also been attacked, they added.
The situation has worsened “after international support for the camp was cut off,” the Asayish said. Humanitarian organizations operating in northeast Syria have been impacted by cuts to USAID.
ISIS captured vast swathes of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014. The group’s so-called caliphate was dismantled in 2019, but the jihadists remain a security threat. ISIS has tried to take advantage of the changing security landscape in Syria after the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad.
