Syria’s Hawl breeding ground for next ISIS generation – CENTCOM
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on Saturday that there is no “military solution” for Syria’s Hawl Camp that forms a” breeding ground” for next generation of the Islamic State Organization (ISIS).
“With approximately 80 births in the camp each month, this place is a literal breeding ground for the next generation of ISIS,” this came in a statement released by Michael ‘Erik’ Kurilla, an Army four-star general.
Kurilla, during a visit to the camp on September 9, extended the CENTCOM’s condolences to the families of the two members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed in a firefight with ISIS.
On Thursday, the SDF Media Center revealed that two SDF fighters lost their lives as a result of their participation in a raid in Hawl Camp east of Hasakah.
“More than 90% of the camp’s residents are women and children,” Kurilla added.
About 70% of the camps residents are under the age of 12, who are “vulnerable to radicalization given their very poor quality of life,” according to the statement.
Hawl Camp, 45 km east of the city of Hasakah, is a house for 55.829 individuals, including 28.725 Iraqis, 18.850 Syrians and 8.254 of foreign nationalities, according to the latest statistics obtained by North Press.
The camp witnesses murders with different methods, most notably firearms. The management of the camp fears that the latest Turkish threats of invading areas in northern Syria would pave the way for Islamic State Organization (ISIS) to reorganize its ranks; North Press cited a statement by the management as saying.
He stressed that camp represents a real threat to the region, it also represents a humanitarian catastrophe.
“We’ve already seen ISIS members holding women and girls enslaved in chains inside the camp, torturing camp residents, and seeking to spread their vile ideology,” Kurilla said.
He also pointed out that most of the camp’s residents reject the ISIS, want to return to homelands and resume a peaceful and safe life with their children.
He went further saying that this situation needs an international solution and sympathy from global community.
In addition, he said that about half of the camp’s residents are from Iraq and hailed the real progress that Iraq made in repatriating its nationals.
Iraq’s Ministry of Displacement and Migration announced on Friday evening 766 Iraqi families were repatriated from Hawl Camp, east of Hasakah, northeastern Syria, after subjecting them to security measures.
The CENTCOM said that they will keep supporting SDF in fighting the ISIS and to maintain security at the camp.
On August 25, Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) announced on Thursday launching a second phase of “Humanity and Security” operation in Hawl Camp to pursue sleeper cells of the ISIS.
On August 27, the US-led Global Coalition said that the aforementioned operation shows their commitment to prevent the resurgence of the ISIS in northeast Syria.
ISIS lost its final stronghold in Syria in March 2019. The SDF, with the support of the US-led Global Coalition, defeated ISIS after fierce battles in the town of Baghouz in the eastern countryside of Deir ez-Zor, bringing an end to the so-called caliphate declared by the terrorist ISIS.
After Baghouz, thousands of ISIS fighters were transferred to prisons, while their families were transferred to Hawl and Roj camps in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES)-held areas.
Issue of the family members of the ISIS held in camps in northeast Syria constitutes an ongoing challenge for the non-internationally recognized AANES, which repeatedly demands that the concerned countries repatriate their nationals.
Also, the AANES continues to call on the international powers to provide support for establishing rehabilitation centers and help in tackling the security situation in the facilities were ISIS foreign nationals are held.
Despite many calls, the majority of countries, including those participating in the Global coalition, refuse to repatriate their nationals.