Fears of a possible resurgence of Daesh are growing
Just a few days ago, Italian Chancellor Luigi di Maio referred to the defeat of Daesh as having taken place only in "territorial terms" and that its complete eradication was far from being a reality. He did so at the ministerial meeting of the Global Coalition to Defeat Daesh in Rome. Now, his words make even more sense given the news coming from different regions of Syria, specifically in the camp located in Al-Hol, which is experiencing a situation of extreme risk due to the numerous killings that plague what is home to some 50,000 Syrian and Iraqi refugees.
At least eight people have been shot dead in the past month in the sprawling tent city of Al-Hol in Hasakeh province. Among them were a 16-year-old Iraqi refugee and two Syrian sisters aged 17 and 23. According to the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), "assassinations of residents who distance themselves from the group's extremist views" are being carried out. It is for this reason that concern has grown in the region as the resurgence of the Daesh terrorist group is one of the greatest fears among the refugee population who live with some of the organisation's members.
In the first three months of this year, up to 47 killings were recorded in the Hasakeh region camp alone. As a result, a raid was carried out in search of suspected Daesh members, resulting in 125 arrests. The UN itself has warned of the risk to the 50,000 people - most of them women and children - in Al-Hol. In addition, there is an annexed camp, most of which is also populated by women and children, but these are linked to the terrorist group, which further fuels fear among the camp's population.
The fact that the family members of Daesh members are in the annexed Al-Hol camp is a decision taken by the Syrian Kurds, who are keeping them temporarily - or at least that was the initial intention - while those belonging to the organisation remain in prison. Syria's Kurds are keeping thousands of Daesh fighters in prison, after expelling the militants in 2019 from the last patch of territory they controlled.
The situation is very complicated and it is not easy to organise the tens of thousands of people in the Syrian camp. The Kurdish authorities have repeatedly urged the international community to repatriate their citizens, but so far most countries have only returned some of the children. However, the organisation in the camps could be much improved, and the International Committee of the Red Cross has raised the alarm about the Kurdish authorities, who it says are holding "hundreds of children" in adult prisons.
While the Kurds are simply appealing for international aid with the aim, they say, of opening more rehabilitation centres for children belonging to families with Daesh members, the situation is dangerous in the rest of the camp. The Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS of 28 June was one of the steps in the fight that, although far from over, shows "significant progress", according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. However, for the moment, no action is expected in the near future to restore peace in the Al-Hol camp, while the population, seeing what is happening around them, lives in fear.
