Fate of ISIS-affiliated families in Rojava camp remains unclear

HASAKA, Syria - More than 2,000 women and children affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) remain at a camp run by Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria (Rojava), as uncertainty grows over their future and prospects for repatriation.

Roj camp, located in Hasaka province, is the last detention camp still under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The nearby al-Hol camp came under Syrian state control last month after the SDF, facing pressure from Damascus, withdrew from parts of the province.

Many residents of Roj camp say they want to return to their home countries, but Kurdish officials say no clear arrangements have been made.

Alma Ismailov, 43, a Serbian national and mother of four children, said she hopes to return home after years of displacement. Two of her children were born to a Bosnian ISIS fighter, while the other two are from Iraqi and Saudi fighters.

“I want to return to Serbia. This is a dream of my children and mine. We are very tired. We have been tired since 2014. We lived here under ISIS,” she told Rudaw.

Sajida Ali, 52, from Uzbekistan and a mother of ten, said her priority is also repatriation.

“We were first in Turkey. Turkey was expensive - rent and other things were very costly. Then they transferred us here. I stayed for one year; I was with ISIS for only one year. Then we realized everything was wrong and there was oppression, so we came here,” Ali said.

One section of the camp houses families of ISIS fighters from Baghouz, the group’s last territorial stronghold in Syria. Camp administrators warned Rudaw’s team not to enter the area, citing security concerns and the risk of attack due to continued radicalization among some residents.

According to camp officials, Roj camp currently holds 2,201 women and children, the majority of whom are minors.

“So far, no discussions have been held [between Rojava and state officials] on Roj camp. The fate of the camp remains unclear. After the [recent] incidents, no country has come to us to take their nationals,” Jihan Hanan, the camp’s director, told Rudaw.

The fate of ISIS-affiliated families in northeast Syria has remained unresolved for years, as many countries have been reluctant to repatriate their nationals amid legal, security, and political concerns.