On the fourth day of the anti-ISIS operation in Syria’s al-Hol camp, security forces conducting the operation made the shocking discovery of the body of a dead woman hidden in blankets and buried under the ground. According to Hawar News Agency (ANHA), an ISIS fighter captured during the operation confessed that the women had been tortured before being killed.
Operation ‘Enduring Security’, led by the Kurdish-led Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) with the support of the international coalition, was launched on Thursday 7 November with the aim of “eliminating ISIS cells operating in the camp and its surroundings”.
During day three and four of the operation, 23 ISIS members were captured, according to the SDF Press Center. Escape attempts by some ISIS members were prevented by the use of drones to surveil the operation and coordinated action by the security forces.
Al-Hol camp, which is home to thousands of displaced people as well as families of former ISIS fighters, has been a security flashpoint for the authorities, who have faced repeated problems with violence and unrest among camp residents. When it was first established, the camp was home to around 50,000 Syrians and Iraqis, the majority of whom were women and children, as well as more than 10,000 foreigners from around 60 other countries.
