Crimes Terrorize Al-Hol Camp in Syria

Security forces during a raid in al-Hol camp in March. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Security forces during a raid in al-Hol camp in March. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Crimes Terrorize Al-Hol Camp in Syria

Security forces during a raid in al-Hol camp in March. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Security forces during a raid in al-Hol camp in March. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The refugees and displaced in Syria’s al-Hol camp woke up on Thursday to a new crime, raising the tally this week to five.

Security forces found the bodies of two women, who were apparently killed by a silenced weapon.

One of the victims was a Syrian from Homs city and the other from Aleppo. They were reported missing some 15 days ago, said a prominent security source.

Based on testimonies and information, the source revealed that the terrorist ISIS group was working on training and recruiting children to carry out murders in the camp that is home to 56,000 refugees.

On Wednesday, the security forces found the body of a Syrian woman, who was shot in the head.

On June 17, they found the bodies of two women. One was a Syrian and the other hasn’t been identified.

A total of 28 crimes have been reported in al-Hol. Nine of the victims have been Syrian refugees, including a Kurdish Red Cross medic. Fourteen victims were Iraqi refugees, who make up half of the population in the overcrowded camp.

Fourteen murders have been foiled.

The security forces accuse ISIS and its cells of being the culprit in the majority of these crimes.



Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
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Palestinian President Abbas Appoints New Deputy in Major Step in Naming Successor

Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)
Hussein al-Sheikh, secretary-general of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, gestures during an interview with The Associate Press at his office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, June 13, 2022. (AP)

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Saturday named a veteran aide and confidant as his new vice president. It’s a major step by the aging leader to designate a successor.

The appointment of Hussein al-Sheikh as vice president of the Palestine Liberation Organization does not guarantee he will be the next Palestinian president. But it makes him the front-runner among longtime politicians in the dominant Fatah party who hope to succeed the 89-year-old Abbas.

Abbas hopes to play a major role in postwar Gaza. He has been under pressure from Western and Arab allies to rehabilitate the Palestinian Authority, which has limited autonomy in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.  

The PLO is the internationally recognized representative of the Palestinian people and oversees the Western-backed Palestinian Authority. Abbas has led both entities for two decades.