ISIS Regroups: Children in Syrian Detention Camps Radicalized Amid Power Struggles

[Social Media]

 

The Kurdish troops patrolling the sprawling detention camps of northeast Syria face constant danger. Stones and rocks pelting their armored vehicles are minor compared to the frequent knife attacks and bombings from ISIS-affiliated detainees. For over six years, these soldiers have guarded camps filled with the wives and relatives of ISIS fighters, but the threat is only growing stronger.

"They are making very violent gestures towards us."@AlexCrawfordSky reports from a refugee camp in Syria where families of ISIS members are detained. Many are worried that young people in these camps are at risk of being recruited by the Islamic State.https://t.co/bjimTXcYnU pic.twitter.com/K7kFKBpYQJ

— Sky News (@SkyNews) March 19, 2025

 

Kane Ahmed, the commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) troops overseeing the al Hol camp, paints a grim picture. “The threat of ISIS has increased both inside and outside the camp... especially after the fall of the Syrian regime. It’s gone up a lot, and we see attempts by them to escape on almost a daily basis.”

 

 

The perimeter fence, reinforced multiple times, remains inadequate. Three round-the-clock CCTV rooms monitor the area, but intelligence reports confirm that ISIS cells outside the camp are smuggling in weapons and aiding escapes. “We know they are receiving help,” the commander explains. Delivery trucks have been used to hide detainees in hollowed-out seats, while waterways have become escape routes for smuggling children out.

 

These children are the next generation of ISIS fighters, indoctrinated from birth. More than 60% of al Hol’s population consists of children—22,000 of them. Many have never known life beyond the confines of the camp. They regard outsiders with hostility, throwing stones at soldiers and journalists, kicking cameras, and shouting threats. Armed troops escort visitors, warning them to wear protective vests and helmets. “You will be attacked,” camp management cautions.

 

Raids on tents frequently uncover weapons, homemade bombs, and grenades. The radicalization is evident in the children’s words. “We will behead you,” they chant. “One day we will be in charge. ISIS is coming back.” A woman cloaked in a burqa echoes their sentiments. “We love the Islamic State. We were free with them. Here, we are captives.”

 

The fragile agreement between the Kurdish-led SDF and Syria’s interim president is seen as a step forward in relations between the Kurdish minority and the Islamist authorities now in power. However, the pressing question of what to do with the ISIS detainees remains unanswered. The power vacuum left in Syria is giving ISIS room to regroup and strengthen.

 

Commander Ahmed delivers a stark warning: “We need help to control ISIS from the international coalition. We cannot do this on our own.” As the situation inside the camps worsens, the international community faces a looming crisis—one that could see ISIS rise again from within the very places meant to contain it.

 

Based on a report by Sky News  2025-03-21

 

 

[Mike_Hunt]

This is how the Taliban came about. 

[Cryingdick]

The children of monsters like these need to be separated from them so they can grow up normal. Who pays for that? I don't know.