Asayish accuse NGO of entering weapon to Syria’s Hawl Camp
RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – Internal Security Forces of North and East Syria (Asayish) accused on Saturday employees at Bahar humanitarian organization of entering weapons to Hawl Camp, east of Hasakah, northeastern Syria.
In a statement announcing the end of the second phase of Operation “Humanity and Security” in Hawl Camp, the Asayish said that it had arrested 226 people, including 36 “extremist” women, suspected to be cells of the Islamic State (ISIS).
The Asayish said they were able, during the investigations; to track three sources of the weapons existed in the Camp, including employees of the organization.
The second source for the weapons, according to the Asayish, was the ISIS women who hid bombs and other weapons when they entered the camp. The third source is the organization’s militants who make sharp materials in the camp.
Bahar organization, based in the Turkish city of Gaziantep, defines itself as a local organization for “rebuilding communities”. The organization is active in northern Syria and Iraq, and says it abides by international standards and principles of human rights.
An executive source at the organization told North Press that they “have never worked in Hawl Camp since its establishment.”
The source did not mention any additional details about whether any measures have been taken against them or not.
Bahar works in several areas in Syria, including the city of Idlib, Raqqa, Deir ez-Zor and Hasakah, especially in the countryside of Aleppo, according to the interactive map on the organization’s website.
Meanwhile, a source in the Asayish told North Press that everything stated in the statement is based on “evidence and proof.”
The Asayish statement said that they found 25 trenches, three AK-47 rifles, an RPG-7 with ammunition, two pistols, 25 hand grenades, 25 kg of explosives, 11 silencers, 388 bullets, 10 magazines and nine chest rigs.
At the beginning of 2021, the Asayish accused workers in organizations operating in Hawl Camp of bringing weapons into the camp, without giving further details.
About 30 humanitarian organizations and associations work at the camp to provide support for its residents, a source in the camp told North Press.
At the beginning of July, the camp management announced that 28 murders had occurred since the beginning 2022, including 12 Syrians, 14 Iraqi refugees and two unidentified bodies, in addition to 15 unsuccessful attempted murders.
Hawl Camp, located 45 kilometers east of Hasakah, houses around 55.829 people, including 28.725 Iraqis, 18.850 internally displaced Syrians, and 8.254 foreign nationals, according to the latest official statistics obtained by North Press.