SORGUL ŞÊXO

Hasakah -54,390 people live in the al-Hol camp located in North and East Syria and women and children make up 90% of the population of the camp. Since ISIS families from the Baxoz district of Deir ez-Zor were settled in the camp in March 2019, they have killed, kidnaped and threatened the citizens in the camp. In March 2021, the General Command of Internal Security Forces in North and East Syria launched the “Humanitarian and Security Operation” to destroy ISIS cells in al-Hol camp with the support of the Women’s Defense Units (YPJ) and Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). However, ISIS members continue to organize themselves and threaten the people of the camp. On August 25, the General Command of Internal Security Forces in North and East Syria announced the launch of the second phase of the “Humanitarian and Security Operation” in al-Hol camp. NuJINHA spoke to Internal Security Forces member Sîdar Masûm about the second phase of the operation.

“We aim to make the al-Hol camp free from the mentality of ISIS”

Speaking about the humanitarian aspect of the operation, Sîdar Masûm said, “The humanitarian aspect of the operation is more important to us. There are sick and old women living in the camp. We brought an ambulance to the camp for treatment of sick women. We can say that the women in the camp have faced many bad attitudes. Since women are very important for us and we want to change the mentality against them. We launched the second phase of the operation because some women are influenced by the ideas of ISIS. Women, who oppose the mentality of ISIS, are killed. We aim to make the al-Hol camp free from the mentality of ISIS.”

“Women were subjected to electrical torture”

Sîdar Masûm also talked about the instruments of torture used against women in the camp. “We have discovered tents used by ISIS members as training centers to impose their ideology on children. We have found the instruments of torture used against women. ISIS members used picana devices used to give an electric shock to women. Women were subjected to electrical torture by ISIS members. We have also discovered tents used by ISIS as prisons to punish women.”

“Turkey uses ISIS members against us”

Referring to the Turkey-ISIS relationship, Sîdar Masum said, “We have found knives made in the city of Maraş and brought to the camp. These knives show that the Turkish state supports ISIS members in order to revive the ISIS sleeper cells in the camp and use them against us. In the beginning of 2022, ISIS carried out an attack on Ghwayran prison near the city of Hasakah. Now, we want to prevent a second Ghwayran case in the camp.”

“The camp must be cleansed of foreigners”

Calling on all countries to repatriate their citizens in al-Hol camp, Sîdar Masûm said, “This camp must be cleansed of foreigners. Everyone knows very well that we have very limited means in North and East Syria. Despite that, we have shouldered the burden of foreigners and protected them.”