Security operation underway in Syria’s Hawl Camp
HASAKAH, Syria (North Press) – The Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and Syrian Democratic Forces in North and East Syria, backed by anti-terror and rapid intervention forces, began a security campaign in Syria’s Hawl Camp at dawn on Sunday.
The campaign, which began in the camp’s first sector which houses Iraqi refugees, aims to find wanted individuals and illicit weapons used by members of ISIS cells in the wave of killings and assassinations which have intensified this year.
A security source in the camp said that “the campaign is scheduled to last for 15 days, while the security forces imposed a curfew from 5 a.m. until 7 p.m. in all sectors.
He added that the security forces “are working to transfer residents of the camp, according to local councils, to a gathering point until the searches are complete.”
Sources indicated that 6,000 members of the Asayish, along with the SDF and Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), are participating in the operation.
On Sunday, the Asayish issued a statement at the beginning of the operation, stating that “the camp has turned into a hotbed for ISIS, where civilians are killed and targeted almost daily.”
ISIS cells have killed 47 people inside the camp since the start of the year alone, according to the statement, which added that Hawl Camp has long posed a security threat to the region and the world, as it houses more than 60,000 people, including large numbers of children, who are often supporters and family members of ISIS.
Members of ISIS fighters’ families have even formed special departments for themselves, such as the hizba, or morality police, and teach ISIS curricula to children within the camp in attempt to preserve and revive the organization should the opportunity arise, the Asayish added.