226 ISIS suspects arrested during anti-ISIS operation in al-Hol: Asayish
ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – The General Command of the Internal Security Forces (also known as Asayish) in a statement on Saturday announced the Asayish arrested a total of 226 ISIS suspects during the Operation Humanity and Security in the al-Hol camp.
The Asayish said a total of 226 suspects were “arrested including 36 extremist women involved in murder and terrorism offenses.”
The operation lasted for 24-days. “25 tunnels and trenches were uncovered,” the statement added.
“We announce the end of the second phase of Operation Humanity and Security in the al-Hol camp, and our forces will continue to hunt down the potential cells, confronting dangers by conducting regular security operations when necessary,” the Asayish said in a concluding statement.
On August 25th, the Asayish enabled by the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces) and the International Coalition against ISIS launched the second phase of Operation Humanity and Security in the al-Hol camp, eastern al-Hasakah, to hunt down ISIS sleeper cell,
The Asayish said “the operation was launched following the increasing crimes of killing and torture committed by ISIS cells against the camp residents who refused to join or support the terrorism of ISIS.”
Since 2022, 44 camp residents and humanitarian workers have been murdered by ISIS cells, the Asayish said.
Moreover, the Asayish said “ISIS women have taken advantage of the provided resources, especially the communications and money transfers, to transmit information, to inciting ISIS cells, and network them together inside and outside the camp.”
During the operation also two Yezidi women were freed from ISIS women in the camp. The Women’s Protection Units (YPJ) also liberated a total of 200 Yezidi women and children over the past years. Two SDF fighters were also killed during an ISIS escape attempt from al-Hol.
Read More: Second Yezidi woman liberated during al-Hol campaign
“The YPJ encountered many obstacles to reaching these women and freeing them, the most important of which is the fear of revealing their Yazidi identity by impersonating foreign personalities and blending into the lifestyle of ISIS women to protect their lives under threats by ISIS women,” the Asayish said.
Read More: Four imprisoned women liberated in al-Hol camp
The YPJ also “also freed four non-Yazidi women who were chained and brutally tortured by ISIS women.”
The latest report by the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria released on Wednesday said there around 58,000 individuals are held in the al-Hol camp and Roj camp, including some 17,000 women and 37,000 children. More than 17,000 of the children are Iraqi.
The SDF and the US-led coalition have repeatly called on countries to repatriate their citizens from al-Hol camp.