"When our forces arrived, they found cases of collective escapes due to the camp having been opened up in a haphazard manner. We observed cases of mass escape resulting from the opening of internal berms and checkpoints of the camp."
"The SDF withdrew suddenly, without coordination and without informing the Syrian authorities or the international anti-ISIL coalition beforehand. There was a chaotic situation after the pullout, with more than 138 breaches discovered in the perimeter wall."
"Al-Hol, located in the Hasakah province near the border with Iraq, was the largest camp for relatives of suspected ISIL fighters in northeastern Syria and had been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). According to the SDF, the camp held more than 23,000 people before its withdrawal."
Al-Hol, a major detention facility in northeastern Syria housing over 23,000 relatives of suspected ISIL fighters, experienced mass escapes following the Kurdish-led SDF's sudden withdrawal in January. Syrian officials confirmed more than 138 breaches in the camp's 17-kilometer perimeter wall and reported cases of collective escapes resulting from the chaotic handover. The SDF withdrew without coordination or prior notification to Syrian authorities or the international anti-ISIL coalition. The camp's residents, predominantly children, women, and elderly individuals, had been held in de facto detention for years despite not being formally charged with crimes. Syrian military forces took control of the facility hours after the SDF's departure.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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