A Western newspaper reported on Thursday evening that there was an attempted escape of women and children from the camp where families of individuals suspected of being affiliated with the terrorist organization “ISIS” are detained. The report clarified that the attempt to escape by women and children from the jihadist camp of various nationalities was thwarted, noting that escape attempts increase during bad weather conditions, especially in the dense fog that has covered the region for the past three days.
It is worth mentioning that security forces had announced last September the thwarting of an escape attempt by about sixty people from the camp. Kurdish authorities in northeastern Syria announced last May that they had reached an agreement with the transitional government in Damascus regarding the evacuation of Syrian citizens from the Al-Hol camp, which houses tens of thousands of people allegedly linked to “ISIS.”
The Al-Hol camp is home to about 37,000 people, most of them wives and children of ISIS fighters, as well as supporters of the organization from various nationalities, including Iraqis and citizens from Western countries. Human rights organizations have repeatedly warned of the poor living conditions and the spread of violence within the camp.
Regarding the Syrians in the camp, there was a previous mechanism for returning those who wished to the areas under Kurdish administration, where reintegration centers were established. However, this agreement is the first of its kind to include their return to areas under the control of the central government in Damascus.
This development comes as part of efforts to enhance cooperation between the Kurdish administration and the new authorities in Damascus, especially after the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad last December. It also falls within the implementation of the agreement last March between the interim Syrian president and the leader of the Syrian Democratic Forces, which stipulates the integration of the latter into the new government army and the transfer of control over border crossings, oil fields, and prisons to the central government.
