Volatile security situation around al-Hol refugee camp in Syria
The security situation in and around the al-Hol refugee camp in north-eastern Syria, where thousands of relatives of ISIS fighters are being held, is “volatile”, according to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). On Friday, UNHCR staff were unable to enter the camp because of the deteriorating security situation.
Earlier this week, Kurdish forces withdrew from al-Hol under pressure from the Syrian government army. The camp, Syria’s largest for relatives of ISIS fighters, is now under the control of the Syrian army. The withdrawal forms part of a broader shift in eastern Syria, where the government of president Ahmed al-Sharaa has been pushing out Kurdish fighters of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Humanitarian access restricted
UNHCR staff had been able to access the camp over the previous three days, but this was no longer possible on Friday, UNHCR spokesperson Céline Schmitt said from Geneva. The agency was still able to provide water on Thursday and hopes to resume bread distribution later on Friday, after supplies were interrupted for three days.
According to Schmitt, the Syrian government has indicated its willingness to “ensure the security and support of UNHCR and its humanitarian partners so that humanitarian operations can resume.”
Al-Hol is home to nearly 24,000 people, including around 15,000 Syrians and 6,200 foreign women and children from 42 nationalities, including Western countries. The camp has long been considered unstable, but the recent fighting between the SDF and Syrian government forces has further worsened conditions. Western governments fear that the chaos could create opportunities for ISIS fighters or their relatives to escape, potentially removing them from any form of control.
Belgian nationals in custody
Belgium is among the countries closely monitoring developments. Official figures from the Threat Assessment Unit (OCAD) show that 176 Belgian alleged Foreign Terrorist Fighters (FTFs) are believed to be in Syria and Iraq. While 81 are almost certainly deceased, 95 are presumed to still be alive. Of those confirmed to be in custody, three Belgian ISIS fighters are held in Iraq, twelve in Syrian prisons and eight women with nine children remain in the Al-Roj camp in Syria.
Foreign minister Maxime Prévot (Les Engagés) reiterated in Parliament on Thursday that Belgian ISIS fighters still in Syria cannot return to Belgium. Nineteen Belgians, including nine men, are currently in custody in Syria. Belgium’s official position has long been that these men should be tried locally, although this has never materialised. Security services have previously argued that repatriation would allow closer monitoring, but this has proven politically unfeasible.
Meanwhile, uncertainty continues over the fate of detainees in the region. The United States announced this week that it would transfer 7,000 male ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq as a precaution. Unofficial sources suggest Belgian detainees could also be moved, while the future of women and children still held in camps such as al-Hol and Al-Roj remains unclear.
Children and women, relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, walk inside Al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province © PHOTO OMAR HAJ KADOUR / AFP
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