A security operation against ISIS cells in northern Syria’s Al-Hol (Al-Hawl) camp, led by Kurdish-led Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with support from coalition forces, over the last two days has led to the arrest of 28 ISIS members and the seizure of a significant weapon cache. A wanted ISIS terrorist, listed for two years, was also captured. These arrests add to at least 50 previously reported detentions since the launch of the operation on 4 November, along with the confiscation of significant weapons and ammunitions.
The anti-ISIS operation, dubbed ‘Enduring Security’ and led primarily by all-women forces, is still in progress, aiming to eradicate the ISIS presence in al-Hol camp and the countryside surrounding al-Hasakah (Hesekê), including more than 100 villages.
The SDF Press Centre announced the successful capture, on 11 November, of an ISIS terrorist responsible for planning a major terrorist attack and wanted by security forces for two years. According to the same press statement, an investigation following the discovery of a woman’s body at the camp on 9 November is also ongoing. As part of the investigation, 8 ISIS women have been interrogated.
Syrian Kurdish-led forces find woman’s corpse in al-Hol Camp during anti-ISIS operation
According to General Commander Zehra Xelil, the women-led operation was launched in response to intelligence that ISIS gangs were planning to attack the camp, which houses a majority of women and children, in order to extract families living there.
“The majority of the [security] forces that arrived [to operate in Al-Hol] are women, because the residents of the camp are almost all women, both Syrian, Iraqi and foreign women,” she said. “There are families of ISIS bandits [in Al-Hol] and they don’t accept women as a force […] they don’t accept women having power,” the commander added.
The joint security forces continue to search the camp to identify ISIS members hiding among the families. The operation has completed intervention in areas of the camp designated to “foreign women” and is continuing in the “displaced Iraqis” section. Further updates are expected in the coming days.
