Tents for Torture, Secret Detention Uncovered in Syria’s al-Hol Camp

Part of the security campaign that as launched on August 25 inside al-Hol camp. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Part of the security campaign that as launched on August 25 inside al-Hol camp. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Tents for Torture, Secret Detention Uncovered in Syria’s al-Hol Camp

Part of the security campaign that as launched on August 25 inside al-Hol camp. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Part of the security campaign that as launched on August 25 inside al-Hol camp. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) and the special female units of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have found a tent used by ISIS-linked elements for torture and detention inside al-Hol refugee camp, east of al-Hasakah governorate.

Security forces liberated four women who were chained up to a concrete wall.

This came as part of the second phase of the Operation Humanity and Security, which was launched by Asayish in the overcrowded refugee camp on August 25, in light of the increase in acts of murder and violence.

A video published by the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) Information and Documentation office showed the raid on a tent and how chained up women were liberated by female security forces.

“YPJ forces liberated four women in total in Sunday’s ongoing operation in al-Hol camp,” the YPJ said.

Two of these women said they came from Iraq and showed signs of torture.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, head of the SDF Media Center Farhad Shami said that in coordination with Asayish and the international coalition forces, the SDF launched an investigation to find those involved in torturing and chaining up the displaced women in the camp.

Shami said 23 suspects have been arrested so far, including six women, who operate in ISIS-affiliated cells.

He revealed that seven secret trenches were found under the tents, while the security forces demolished eight sites that were used by ISIS as training centers and courts for imposing executions and torture sentences.

The forces also confiscated quantities of hand grenades, Kalashnikov warehouses, military bags, SIM and memory cards and computers buried underground.

The camp, located 45 km east of al-Hasakah city in northeastern Syria, is considered one of the largest refugee camps in Syria. It houses about 56,000 people, most of whom are displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees.

It also includes a special section for ISIS families, housing 10,000 people from 54 Western and Arab countries.

According to the figures published by Asayish on its official website, more than 100 suspects have been arrested since August 25, and about 110 tents that were used as training centers and courts for imposing executions and torture sentences were demolished.



G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
TT

G7 Foreign Ministers Say 'Now is the Time' for Lebanon Ceasefire

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after Israeli strikes, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Ashrafieh, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Foreign Ministers from the G7 democracies on Tuesday upped the pressure on Israel to accept a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon, saying "now is the time to conclude a diplomatic settlement."

In a draft statement at the end of a two-day meeting in Italy, the G7 ministers urged Israel to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery to Palestinians, and condemned increasing settler violence in the West Bank, Reuters reported.

The ministers also condemned recent attack on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and expressed their support for the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying it plays a "vital role."