2 women with links to ISIS escape camp in northeast Syria: report

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Two female detainees with ties to ISIS have escaped from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) war monitor reported on Wednesday.

Following the incident, the Internal Security Forces, also known as Asayish in Kurdish, started a search campaign in the nearby town to look for the two women.

Security forces have also arrested a number of people in the al-Hol camp, the SOHR noted.

SOHR also claimed that security forces have issued a decision to temporarily stop the work of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the camp from March 17 to March 23.

On March 12, SDF forces, supported by the anti-ISIS coalition, raided several tents in al-Hol in search of ISIS cells and weapons.

On March 7, the Asayish foiled an attempt to free ISIS-affiliated women from the Al-Hol camp and arrested the smugglers in the vicinity of the camp.
According to data from the UN, al-Hol is the largest camp for refugees and internally displaced people in Syria, hosting about 56,000 people.
Most of al-Hol's residents are Iraqis and Syrians, but the camp also includes many foreign families thought to have links to the Islamic State. 

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

Earlier this month, the Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji warned that the continued presence of the children in the camp is a "ticking bomb" that could pose a "real threat" if they remain in the overcrowded camp.

Read More: Woman dies in another fire in Syria's al-Hol camp

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