Growing public concern over al-Hol Camp, calls for permanent solution

The people of al-Hol, in Jazira canton, expressed serious concern about the security challenges arising from the presence of the al-Hol camp on the town’s outskirts. They stressed that the large number of ISIS families within the camp represents a direct threat to regional peace and stability.

In this context, citizen Shahin al-Haran stated: “The al-Hol camp poses a grave danger to the region; it is a ticking time bomb threatening our safety and stability. There are cells inside the camp working to spread extremist ideology and revive ISIS. In addition, the camp has been subject to smuggling attempts and external activities aimed at destabilizing the region.”

Al-Haran urged the United Nations and human rights organizations to find an urgent solution by repatriating ISIS families to their countries of origin, thereby sparing the residents of al-Hol from the dangers of the camp.

Another resident, Majid al-Fandi, explained that “the camp creates tension and fear among the inhabitants of al-Hol town, as ISIS cells continue attempts to spread chaos and facilitate the smuggling of families in and out of the camp.”

On behalf of the town’s residents, al-Fandi called on the authorities to take swift measures to relocate the camp away from populated areas in order to safeguard residents and ensure stability.

Khalid Abdo emphasized that “the al-Hol camp is a human time bomb because of the crimes and violations committed against civilians inside the camp, which negatively affect the town’s population and perpetuate a state of fear and anxiety.”

Abdo called for establishing a project to move the camp to an uninhabited area in order to protect civilians from potential threats.

The residents collectively stressed that the continued presence of the camp near al-Hol increases security risks, making the town more vulnerable to ISIS attempts to exploit the camp as a base to reorganize.

It is worth noting that on September 5, the Internal Security Forces, the Women’s Internal Security Forces, and the Women’s Protection Units (YPJ), with support from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the International Coalition, launched the fourth phase of “Operation Humanity and Security” in al-Hol camp. The two-day campaign yielded significant results, as participating forces announced the dismantling of active terrorist networks, the arrest of 11 ISIS operatives, and the prevention of several plots targeting humanitarian and service facilities.

Al-Hol Camp, located 45 kilometers east of Hasaka city near the Syrian-Iraqi border, is considered one of the most complex and dangerous security and humanitarian hotspots in North and East Syria.

The camp was originally established in the early 1990s to host Iraqi refugees, and later reopened following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. During the Syrian crisis, it transformed into a strategically critical site after falling under the control of ISIS mercenaries, who used it as a crossing point between Syria and Iraq.

After the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) liberated the camp in 2015, it was repurposed to shelter tens of thousands of displaced Syrians fleeing the war, as well as the families of ISIS fighters after the group was defeated in its last stronghold in Baghouz in March 2019.

Since then, the risks associated with the camp have intensified, as ISIS families were transferred there, turning it into what many describe as a “ticking time bomb” threatening both local and regional security.

According to the latest statistics, the camp currently hosts approximately 26,539 residents, including 6,352 Iraqis, 15,245 Syrians, 4,933 foreign nationals, and 9 individuals of unknown origin.

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ANHA