The Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) have successfully liberated a Yazidi woman from Islamic State (ISIS) captivity in al-Hol (al-Hawl) camp during a joint operation with security forces from the Kurdish-led autonomous regions of Syria.
The Yazidi woman, identified as Kovan Aidi Khourto, is originally from the village of Hardan in the Sinjar (Shengal) region of northern Iraq and had been held captive by ISIS for ten years. Kovan was one of thousands of Yazidi girls and women abducted by ISIS during the Sinjar massacre on 3 August 2014, which targeted the Yazidi religious minority.
ISIS kidnapped more than 5,000 Yazidi women from Sinjar in 2014. Many were subsequently sold on slave markets in Syria and Iraq. Kurdish forces, particularly after the defeat of ISIS in al-Bagouz in 2019, have been actively working to free Yazidi women from ISIS captivity.
Located near the Iraqi-Syrian border, al-Hol camp is home to more than 50,000 residents, mostly women and children, many of them relatives of captured ISIS fighters. The camp’s dire conditions, coupled with the significant ISIS presence, have made it a breeding ground for extremist ideologies.
The Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) and its security and military forces have faced the challenge of countering the growing ISIS threat within the al-Hol camp in recent years.
Faced with the growing threat of ISIS, the security forces of DAANES launched the third phase of Operation Humanity and Security on 27 January. Led by the Internal Security Forces in cooperation with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the People’s Protection Units (YPG) and the YPJ, and supported by the Global Coalition against ISIS, the operation aims to eliminate active ISIS bases that pose an ongoing threat.
Turkey has reportedly targeted security forces in camps and prisons housing ISIS members and their families as part of increased attacks on Kurdish targets in northern Syria. Ankara argues that these targets pose a threat to its national security. The SDF has previously warned that Turkish attacks risk releasing ISIS members and reigniting the group’s activities.
