Syrian army takes control of camp holding thousands linked to ISIL

SDF main Mazloum Abdi urged US-led conjugation to ‘bear responsibilities’ for securing facilities coming nether gov’t control.

Syrian authorities forces person entered the immense Al-Hol campy lodging thousands linked to ISIL (ISIS) aft Kurdish forces who had been controlling the installation for years withdrew.

Armoured vehicles carrying troops moved into the camp, located successful the godforsaken portion of Hasakeh province, connected Wednesday. The peaceful transportation of power suggests that the four-day ceasefire betwixt the authorities and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), announced the erstwhile day, appears to beryllium moving smoothly.

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The transportation of power of the camp, which houses immoderate 24,000 radical – mostly women and children linked to ISIL – came aft 2 weeks of warring betwixt the service and the SDF that was brought to a halt by Tuesday’s truce.

The warring has seen the SDF, which played a large relation successful defeating ISIL successful confederation with a United States-led planetary coalition, suffer swathes of northbound and eastbound Syria.

The Kurdish forces had controlled the territories during the chaos of Syria’s civilian war, which ended successful December 2024 with the autumn of erstwhile President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

The authorities of President Ahmed al-Sharaa successful Damascus, which toppled al-Assad and is present replacing the SDF arsenic the US’s cardinal spouse successful the conflict against ISIL, wants the Kurdish fighters to integrate into the Syrian state. That process whitethorn present get nether mode should the ceasefire hold.

Tom Barrack, the US envoy to Syria, said successful a connection connected Tuesday that the SDF’s relation arsenic the superior anti-ISIL unit had “largely expired” and that the authorities successful Damascus is “both consenting and positioned to instrumentality implicit information responsibilities”.

Earlier this week, President al-Sharaa and SDF main Mazloum Abdi had agreed that the Syrian authorities would instrumentality implicit work for ISIL prisoners.

Abdi connected Tuesday urged the US-led conjugation to “bear its responsibilities successful protecting facilities” holding ISIL members.

Largest ISIL camp

Al-Hol is the largest campy for radical with links to ISIL, which was defeated successful Syria successful 2019.

The campy was established by Kurdish forces aft they took power of swathes of Syria, with conjugation backing.

Those held astatine al-Hol see astir 14,500 Syrians and astir 3,000 Iraqis.

Some 6,500 others, galore of them loyal ISIL supporters who came from astir the satellite to articulation the equipped group, are separately held successful a high-security conception of the camp.

The SDF remains successful power of the immense bulk of much than a twelve prisons wherever immoderate 9,000 members of ISIL person been held for years, according to The Associated Press.

The largest facility, holding astir 4,500 ISIL-linked detainees, is the Gweiran Prison, located successful the metropolis of Hasakeh, which is inactive nether afloat power of the SDF.

On Tuesday, the Syrian Interior Ministry said 120 ISIL members escaped from the Shaddadi situation successful Hasakeh province.

The service accused the SDF of releasing ISIL detainees from the facility, portion the Kurds said they mislaid power of the installation aft an onslaught by Damascus.

Since then, galore of the detainees who fled were captured by authorities troops who took power of the jail, authorities media reported.