the country under growing threat from jihadist camps

Inside the Al Hol camp (Syria), the Kurdish security forces circulate only in armored vehicles. 52,000 people crowded there. Here were placed the relatives of Daesh fighters, arrested in 2019. A majority of women and children, who are prohibited from going out. More than 50 nationalities are represented, and there are dozens of French people. “The little ones, when they are just starting to walk, they are already throwing stones at us”, says a member of the Kurdish security forces. Clashes are recurrent.

An “unmanageable” tension around the camps

The security forces regularly carry out operations to recover the weapons that enter the camp clandestinely. They reach there through tunnels, and then circulate thanks to several stratagems. Pressure and insecurity are permanent, orchestrated by the Islamic State group. “Their goal is to become more and more powerful inside the camp, then after to come out of here, and to recreate their Islamic State”thinks the director of the camp, Jihane Hanane.

Al Hol lives in permanent fear of a massive attack by Daesh, like the one that took place 30 km away, during the attack on al-Sinaa prison, in Hassaké (Syria), on January 20, 2022. Inside are thousands of jihadist fighters, among the highest ranks. Daesh, now in hiding, has sworn to do everything to free them. “The tension building up around these detention centers is becoming unmanageable as the Islamic State group reorganizes underground and grows in power”concludes Marc de Chalvron, special correspondent for Al Hol.