Review of importance of " Enduring Security" operation; requirements to combat ISIS in Syria

Since November 6, al-Jazira region in the North and East Syria region has witnessed the "Enduring Security" operation, carried out by the Internal Security Forces, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the Women's Protection Units, to combat ISIS sleeper cells.

The forces participating in the "Enduring Security" operation announced the conclusion of their mission on Tuesday, November 12, during which they managed to capture 79 ISIS mercenaries and seize a large quantity of weapons, as well as the area covered by the operation.

According to the statement from the joint forces, the operations proceeded along two main axes. During the first two days, they targeted the combing of more than 200 villages in the southern and northern rural areas, including a distance of 70 km from the Iraqi-Syrian border and the desert areas belonging to it. They then continued with the inspection operations of the al-Hol camp as well as the city itself, with the participation of five thousand fighters from the joint forces, supported and assisted by the International Coalition forces.

Thousands of families

 Al-Hol camp is located east of the city of Hasakah on the Syrian-Iraqi border, and it was originally established to accommodate Iraqi refugees in early 1991 during the Second Gulf War. It was reopened later after the influx of Iraqi refugees to Syria following the invasion of Iraq in 2003.

 After the geographical defeat of ISIS mercenaries in their last stronghold in the town of Baghouz in the Deir ez-Zor countryside on the Syrian-Iraqi border in March 2019, and the arrest of about 12,000 mercenaries, who are currently in prisons in North and East Syria, the families of ISIS mercenaries were transferred to the camp, where the number of residents reached about 74,000 people in the spring of 2019, including more than 50,000 from the families of ISIS mercenaries, both Syrians, Iraqis, and foreigners. Later, some Syrian and Iraqi families were released.

 Currently, the camp houses 11,257 families, with a total of 39,899 individuals, including Syrians, Iraqis, and foreigners. There are also 422 Iraqis and 435 Syrians in the camp whose parentage is unknown.

 Many risks

 One of the most prominent dangers that prompted the military and security forces in the North and East Syria region to launch repeated security operations is that some camp residents still attempt to maintain their connection with ISIS, and thus they train children in its ideology. This is what the joint forces warned against in their recent statement, where they confirmed that "the entire camp, especially the 'Muhajirat' section(Jihadists women), which ISIS still relies on to build its organization within the camp, has been combed."

 The importance of the operations carried out by the security and military forces in the al-Hol camp, in particular, lies in their contribution to reducing the threat posed by ISIS mercenary cells and their families to the camp residents. However, these operations are not sufficient to fundamentally resolve the issue of detained ISIS mercenaries and their families in the camps. Therefore, the continued failure to address this issue contributes to the ongoing spread of extremism within the camps, especially among children who are being raised with ISIS ideology by the mercenaries' women.

Cut off the emerging force

 The Egyptian researcher on terrorist groups, Mounir Adib, confirmed that "the importance of the operation in the al-Hol camp is that it aims to eliminate what we can call the budding elements of the ISIS organization or the emerging strength of the organization, or to prevent the organization from exploiting individuals present in this camp and using them."

 Adib explained that despite the announcement of the geographical defeat of ISIS mercenaries, "up until this moment, they are still conducting qualitative operations in many diverse and different places. These qualitative operations carried out by the organization threaten the security and stability of the world. Here, in the al-Hol camp, ISIS organization is very active, and there are individuals who were affiliated with the organization since they were children and have now become young men and fighters."

 Adib confirmed that "in al-Hol camp, there are many children who are still absorbing the organization's ideas, and they have now become fighters moving through tunnels they have created, receiving training, and possibly receiving weapons. Therefore, they are trying to escape the confines of the camp and then fight those they see as infidels or those who helped in the downfall of their State.

 Thus, the importance of the operation becomes evident, which I believe will, in one way or another, cut off the organization's path and its members, leaders, and new fighters from attempting to regain control and return."

 Camps producing new leaders for ISIS

 The researcher on terrorist groups pointed out that "there is a real crisis resulting from the continuation of such camps, and they must be dismantled. There must be a logical, international, humanitarian, legal, military, security, political, and diplomatic approach to these camps, meaning that the residents must be integrated into society, returned to their home countries, and given fair trials."

  He warned against its continuation by saying: "It has been and still is producing leaders for the ISIS organization, and it is an opportunity for children or adolescents to learn about the organization's ideas through their educators. These ideas then grow in the minds of these children, who have become fighters for ISIS up to this moment. Consequently, the international community is providing a great opportunity to train these extremists through large camps."

 He saw that "the movement of ISIS members in the camp is consistent with the movement of the organization's members at the regional level, especially since it seeks to liberate itself significantly, which affects the security of the world and the region in general, not just the security of the area where the camp is located."

 He explained that "although the threat is at a higher and greater level for the region of northeastern Syria where this camp is located, the threat is like a snowball that increases and threatens the entire world. Therefore, it is necessary to confront this danger significantly. The movement seems to have harmony, consistency, or connection between the groups in northeastern Syria and the leadership of the organization in general, which tries to instill spirit in the cubs and members of the organization who grow up with the organization's ideas and seek to be part of the organization and its movements."

 T/ Satt.

ANHA