AANES criticizes international powers' repudiation of task of defeating ISIS

The Autonomous Administration called on the international forces to take firmer positions in dealing with the file of ISIS mercenaries, especially the issue of confronting its sleeper cells and detainees and the worsening situation in the al-Hol camp.

14 November, 2022 22:10

Kobani - Juma Muhammed

ISIS mercenaries continue their efforts to reorganize their ranks and threaten the regions of northern and eastern Syria. In recent days, the region has witnessed a number of events that showed that ISIS can pose a major threat.

In the past two weeks, sleeper cells of ISIS mercenaries carried out attacks in Deir ez-Zor, which led to losses, and revealed the continuing threat of mercenaries to the region and its people.

Danger comes up every once in a while

Sheikhmus Ahmed, head of the Displaced Persons Affairs Office in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, said, "The situation inside al-Hol camp, poses a serious threat from ISIS terrorist cells to the camp's residents, humanitarian organizations, administration employees and internal security forces. Since the beginning of this year, 45 assassation cases have occurred in the camp, the threat to humanitarian organizations, the killing of a paramedic in the Kurdish Red Crescent, and the threat to Doctors Without Borders, some of which are out of service.

Ahmed added to our agency: "Since the fall of al-Baghouz at the hands of the SDF, ISIS has reorganized its ranks again, and a new generation of ISIS cells has emerged. They have grown up and constitutes a serious threat to the security and safety of the region and the world."

He pointed out that "the Internal Security Forces and the SDF carried out two campaigns to control security, and as a result, many hideouts, tunnels, weapons and ISIS cells were exposed, but in light of the Turkish threats to the region, there will be other cells and other attacks on the camp and the region."

Ahmed explained, "There is direct coordination between the Turkish army in the occupied areas and the cells inside the camp and on its outskirts."

He pointed out that "the hideout that was uncovered by the SDF near Tel Hamis, indicates that ISIS was preparing to storm the camp and restore the caliphate that fell at the hands of the SDF. Turkey is trying to restore this caliphate again through the ISIS organization located in al-Hol camp."

On September 28, the Syrian Democratic Forces announced that their forces had seized, during a special joint operation with the Internal Security Forces, the second largest hideout of ISIS weapons, in the village of Qayrawan in the southern countryside of Tel Hamis, which was intended to equip ISIS cells and carry out an attack targeting the al-Hol camp and areas in the countryside of Hasaka.

This came days after the Internal Security Forces, with the support of the Syrian Democratic Forces, launched the second phase of the "Humanity and Security" campaign in Al-Hol camp on August 25, with the aim of ensuring security in the camp, which contains thousands of children, women and families of ISIS mercenaries, and the campaign continued for 24 One day, it resulted in the arrest of 226 mercenaries, including 36 women involved in the killings. 25 trenches were found and dozens of weapons were confiscated, including heavy and individual weapons, and quantities of ammunition.

The weakness of the international position complicates the problem

Ahmed stressed that the administration faces "challenges and difficulties in terms of security and humanity, all of which constitute a great burden and threat to the administration."

He stressed that "the failure of the international powers to end the file of ISIS, al-Hol camp, and SDF detention centers has constituted a humanitarian and security burden on the Autonomous Administration, which since its establishment has been in a state of war and emergency, as there is a serious threat from ISIS cells and the occupying Turkish army."

According to the head of the Displaced Persons Affairs Office, "56,500 individuals are present in al-Hol camp, most of them are of Iraqi nationality and more than 15,000 people are from other Syrian regions, and a very small portion of the Autonomous Administration areas have plans and programs to expel those who wish to return to their areas in the Autonomous Administration areas. There are also more than 8000 women and children of ISIS.

Since the majority of those present in al-Hol are of Iraqi nationality, Ahmed saw that "the Iraqi Republic is very slow in recovering its nationals. We hope that Iraq and the countries that have nationals present in al-Hol camp will restore them so that the Autonomous Administration can overcome the difficulties and challenges it faces in securing the camp's security and safety.

weak international position

/en/uploads/files/2022/11/14/183556_-.webp

In a related context, Roken Mulla Ibrahim, Vice President of the Women's Authority in the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, told our agency, "Al-Hol camp is the most dangerous camp in the entire world, inhabited by thousands of ISIS families who still carry extremist ideology and raise the generations of children there."

Roken saw that the world sees what is happening in al-Hol without moving, and believes that the lack of recognition of the Autonomous Administration precludes direct international intervention, with the exception of the expulsion of some individuals and trips to the people of northern and eastern Syria, by some countries of orphaned children through the Department of Foreign Relations.

Roken explained, "What is more dangerous are those families who carry extremist ideology, especially after what we witnessed during the attacks on the Al-Sinaa prison and the escalation of assassinations, and what we saw recently in the last campaign, the presence of an ISIS prison and private schools where children and women are taught the extremist ideology inside Al-Hol camp.

She added, "International forces must intervene to seek refuge, rehabilitating them and reintegrating them into society again, or helping and training these families inside the camp, because their survival in this way poses a great danger to Syria and the entire world. If a special emergency happens, some women are smuggled."

She stressed that "the position of the international powers regarding the al-Hol camp is very weak, only some humanitarian aid and organizations, but with regard to their rehabilitation and integration and the building of special schools for children, there is no such thing."

ANHA