A large arrest operation in the Al-Hol displaced persons camp in Syria was launched Sunday by Kurdish forces after serial killings, where residents suspected of belonging to the Islamic State are targeted.
While around 40 people have died since January in camps in Al-Hol, the UN has responded to the deteriorating security situation. Today, the camps are populated by nearly 62,000 people, 93% of whom are women and children.
On Sunday, Kurdish forces in Syria launched an operation to arrest people implicated in the killings and violence recorded in recent days. The operation should last ten days according to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)
About thirty people have already been arrested by the Kurdish militia of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the local police at dawn.
The people in question are suspected of belonging to the Islamic State and of having attempted to escape or of having carried out attacks against guards or NGO employees. The international coalition present in Syria and led by the United States is providing logistical support to the operation, in particular with aerial surveillance and providing intelligence.
The Al-Hol camp welcomes several families of different origins, notably Syrians, Iraqis, but also foreigners from Europe or Asia with their children. In these camps, families with children are suspected of radicalization.
In Belgium, the Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, announced his intention to “do everything” to repatriate all Belgian children aged 12 and under present in Syria ;, as well as a “case by case” approach reserved for mothers . “In these camps there are the terrorists of tomorrow,” he said, justifying his intention to repatriate them as quickly as possible.
