An official from the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria announced today the thwarting of an escape attempt by women and children of various nationalities from the Al-Hol camp. The camp houses families of individuals suspected of having ties to the Islamic State group.
Jihan Hanan, a camp official, stated that the attempt, involving women and children, including Russians, was foiled last night. No further details about the escape attempt were provided.
Hanan noted that escape attempts often increase during adverse weather conditions, particularly with the dense fog that has enveloped the region for the past three days. The camp currently holds over 24,000 individuals, including 15,000 Syrians, 3,500 Iraqis, and 6,200 foreigners.
In September, security forces affiliated with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) reported preventing an escape attempt by approximately 60 individuals from the same camp.
Tens of thousands of people, many suspected of links to the Islamic State, are held in camps overseen by the Kurdish Autonomous Administration, despite the group’s territorial defeat in the country over six years ago. Al-Hol, a heavily guarded camp, is the largest in northeastern Syria, with detainees living in dire conditions. A separate section houses families of foreign fighters associated with the Islamic State.
Since the declared defeat of the organization in 2019, the Kurdish Autonomous Administration has repeatedly called on concerned countries to repatriate their citizens. While many Western nations have been hesitant to repatriate their nationals due to security concerns or domestic backlash, Baghdad has taken the initiative to accelerate repatriation efforts and has urged other countries to follow suit.
The Kurdish Autonomous Administration announced earlier this year that they are working with the United Nations and relevant organizations to empty the camps in their areas of control of Syrian and Iraqi families this year.
