The SDF said in a statement that it carried out a raid, in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and the US-led global coalition, on the notorious al-Hol camp in Hasaka city against a senior ISIS official, Abu Obeida (aka Abu Muawiya).
Abu Obeida was “an Iraqi national who was responsible for planning terrorist activities in the al-Hol camp, such as killing the IDPs in the camp, smuggling the so-called “Caliphate Cubs” (ISIS children) to the areas west of the Euphrates and Turkish-occupied areas, planning terrorist attacks targeting our security and military points, and threatening the civilian associations and the NGOs /INGOs operating in the al-Hol camp,” read the statement.
“Following a year and a half of diligent monitoring and thorough investigation within the al-Hol camp led [by] our Military Operational Units to identify Abu Obeida as the mastermind behind the terrorist activities within the camp. Our forces raided where the terrorist Abu Obeida was hiding. Equipped with an explosive belt, the terrorist Abu Obeida clashed with our forces, adamantly refusing to surrender. Our forces handled the situation with utmost professionalism and successfully eliminated the terrorist Abu Obeida,” it added.
Al-Hol camp houses 45,355 people, mostly women and children. This includes 21,633 Syrians and 17,022 Iraqis, according to the latest figures from the US-led global coalition against ISIS.
The camp has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism, with authorities describing it as a “ticking time bomb.” Camp residents come from around the world, but the bulk are Syrian and Iraqi.
Iraq has repatriated 1,728 families, numbering 7,607 individuals, from Syria, according to data Radaw has obtained from Iraqi authorities. The latest batch, consisting of over 600 people, was repatriated last week.
The Iraqi government arrested 17 of them due to their links with ISIS. One of them was accused of taking part in the 2014 Speicher massacre committed by ISIS.
The Camp Speicher Massacre is one of the most brutal crimes carried out by ISIS in Iraq. On June 12, 2014, around 1,700 Shiite cadets undergoing training at Camp Speicher in Tikrit were executed by ISIS militants who had initially promised them safety.
