Seoul Gazette - Volatile security blocks UN from Syria IS-linked camp

Two former employees at the Al-Hol desert camp told AFP on Friday that some of its residents had escaped during an hours-long security vacuum.

Thousands of suspected jihadists and their families, including foreigners, have been held in prisons and camps in northeast Syria since 2019, when the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated IS with the support of a US-led coalition.

This year, the SDF had to relinquish to Syrian government control swathes of territory they had seized during their fight against IS, and on Tuesday withdrew from Al-Hol.

In Raqa province, Kurdish forces who formerly controlled a prison housing IS detainees were bussed out on Friday under a deal with the government, as a four-day truce neared expiry.

- Returning today -

Celine Schmitt, the UN refugee agency's spokesperson in Syria, told AFP that "UNHCR was able to reach Al-Hol for the past three days but has not yet been able to enter inside the camp due to the volatile security situation."

"UNHCR is returning to Al-Hol today, with the hope of resuming the bread delivery that had stopped for the past three days," she said.

On Sunday, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced a deal with SDF chief Mazloum Abdi that included a ceasefire and the integration of the Kurds' administration into the state, which will take responsibility for IS prisoners.

A former employee of a local humanitarian organisation that operated in Al-Hol told AFP on condition of anonymity that most associations withdrew on Tuesday "due to the deteriorating security situation".

Some camp residents fled during the "security vacuum" between when the SDF withdrew and the army took control, they said, without providing a number.

A former employee at another organisation working there said "escapes were reported, but the exact number is unknown".

"The camp is fenced, but without security, anyone can easily cross it and flee," they said, also requesting anonymity.

Both ex-employees said camp residents torched centres belonging to aid organisations operating in the camp, where humanitarian conditions are dire.

Before the turmoil, the camp housed some 23,000 people -- mostly Syrians but also including around 2,200 Iraqis and 6,200 other foreign women and children of various nationalities, the camp's former administration told AFP.

Roj, a smaller camp in the northeast still under Kurdish control, holds some 2,300 people, mostly foreigners.

The Kurds and the United States have repeatedly urged countries to repatriate their citizens but foreign governments have generally allowed home only a trickle.

- Al-Aqtan prison -

The SDF has withdrawn to parts of Hasakeh province, its stronghold in northeast Syria.

A fresh four-day ceasefire was announced on Tuesday, while the following day the United States said it had launched an operation that could see 7,000 IS jihadist detainees moved from Syria to Iraq, with 150 transferred so far.

US envoy Tom Barrack, who has said the purpose of Washington's alliance with SDF has now largely expired, held talks this week with Abdi and senior Kurdish official Elham Ahmad.

On Friday, Syria transferred Kurdish fighters away from the Al-Aqtan prison on the outskirts of Raqa city.

An AFP correspondent in Raqa saw buses and cars heading away from the Al-Aqtan prison, escorted by government vehicles.

Syrian state television reported the transfer came "after five days of negotiations" and that the fighters would go to the Kurdish-held city of Ain al-Arab, also known as Kobane, on the northern border with Turkey.

The SDF later said that with coalition support, all the fighters had been transferred "to safe locations", while the interior ministry said authorities had taken control of the facility.

A government source told state television that around 800 SDF fighters were to leave, while IS detainees would be managed "according to Syrian law".

The army said the Al-Aqtan transfer was "the first step in implementing the January 18 agreement".

A.Uhm--SG