Iraqi refugees killed, wounded in Syria’s Hawl Camp
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – On Wednesday, two Iraqi refugees were killed and another Iraqi refugee and a Syrian IDP were wounded by gunshots inside a tent in the first sector of Hawl Camp.
The Internal Security Forces (Asayish) in the camp found the bodies of the two Iraqi refugees who were killed by unknown individuals.
The two Iraqi refugees, “25-year-old Hayitham and 24-year-old Khidir Ahmed Abdulsalam were shot to death in the first sector of the camp,” a security source in the camp told North Press.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Iraqi refugee Youssef Rajeh Haji sustained gunshots to the torso and knee, and 17-year-old Syrian IDP Joud Nawwaf al-No’ymi was also wounded. Both of them were transferred to a hospital, according to the source.
The assassinations often affect Iraqi refugees, as they represent the majority of the camp, which hosts 30,606 Iraqi refugees, according to the camp administration’s statistics.
On Tuesday, an Iraqi refugee was shot to death in the second sector of the camp.
On Sunday, Asayish found the body of an Iraqi refugee, who had several shots in the head and the shoulder by unknown.
On Saturday, Asayish found the body of a female Syrian IDP killed by unknown.
In light of the absence of sustainable solutions to address the growing security tension in the camp, Human Rights Watch’s Syrian affairs researcher Sara al-Kayiali believes that it is necessary to take several steps immediately.
The steps include, “countries repatriating their citizens, supporting the security sector via the Global Coalition, strengthening awareness programs and psychological support for the residents of the camp.”
In February, Undersecretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Immigration Karim al-Nouri stated that his country did not want to take back its citizens “because of the threat they pose,” though he added that the possibility of return has still not been decided.
Hawl Camp is known as “a time bomb” due to the existence of ISIS families and tens of thousands of their loyal members in a camp which is the most dangerous in the world.