Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) on Saturday announced a new anti-ISIS operation, dubbed Operation Humanity and Security, conducted inside the notorious al-Hol camp which houses thousands of ISIS family members. The operation was conducted in response to the group’s increased activity and the emergence of new terrorist cells inside the camp in Hasaka city.
Farhad Shami, head of SDF media stated on X that “31 ISIS terrorists and extremists were captured, several mines, IEDs [Improvised explosive device], and other terrorist materials were seized, and a tunnel was destroyed,” in four days.
Rojava’s internal security forces and the United States-allied SDF, with the support of the global coalition against ISIS, are carrying out the Operation Humanity and Security, which is currently in its third phase.
The first phase of the military campaign was launched in March 2021 and the second one in August 2022. Hundreds of ISIS suspects were detained in both phases.
Al-Hol camp houses 45,355 people, mostly women and children. This number 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 various countries, but the bulk are Syrian and Iraqi.
In late December, the SDF announced that a senior ISIS official was killed inside the camp after clashing with security forces.
