Children in Syria's al-Hol camp are 'ticking time bomb': Iraqi National Security Advisor

Al-Araji's made the remark during his meeting with a delegation of the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Baghdad.
Women look after children at the sprawling al-Hol displacement camp in northeastern Syria, Oct. 17, 2019 (Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP)
Women look after children at the sprawling al-Hol displacement camp in northeastern Syria, Oct. 17, 2019 (Photo: Delil Souleiman/AFP)

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji warned on Thursday that the children of ISIS militants in Syria's notorious al-Hol camp pose a "real threat" if the situation there doesn't change. 

According to a statement from his media office, the security advisor described the continued presence of the children in the camp as a "ticking bomb" that could pose a "real threat" if they remain in that overcrowded camp. 

Al-Araji's made the remark during his meeting with a delegation of the United Nations' Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Baghdad, 

Al-Araji said that Iraq is ready to cooperate with international organizations to address the al-Hol situation, noting that the real victims of war are "women and children." 

Al-Hol is home to thousands of wives of ISIS militants and their children. Nearly 56,000 people currently live in the camp, half of whom are under 18.

While most of the residents are Iraqis and Syrians, the camp also hosts foreigners suspected of having ties with ISIS.

There are regular acts of violence in the camp attributed to ISIS remnants. In one incident in February, a child was shot dead

Although ISIS lost all the territories in Iraq and Syria it previously controlled, the group has repeatedly proven capable of carrying out attacks. 

In January, for example, the group attacked the Ghuwayran prison in Syria's Hasakah province in a coordinated attempt to free the 3,000 to 3,500 prisoners inside. It took ten days for the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to fully recapture and secure the facility.