SULAIMANI (ESTA) — The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) detained 23 Islamic State (ISIS) members during an operation to root out sleeper cells in al-Hol camp northeast Syria, the group said on Monday.
The SDF, consisted of Kurdish and Arab fighters, launched a “Humanitarian and Security Operation” in the camp on Sunday to root out ISIS sleeper cells, who the group says has killed at least 47 people in the camp.
SDF Coordination and Military Operation Center said the group’s fighters detained 23 ISIS individuals in the first section of the al-Hol camp and collected a cache of ISIS intelligence.
As many as 4,086 residents were also enrolled, it said in a tweet.
The camp, controlled by U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), holds 62,000 people from many countries, according to the United Nations.
Some 9,462 foreign women and children are among more than 64,600 people detained at al-Hol and Roj camps, run by Syrian Kurdish authorities, where the majority of residents are Iraqi and Syrian nationals.
On Monday, Acting Special Envoy for the Coalition forces John Godfrey said there were about 2,000 foreign fighters in northeast Syria and the number of associated family members was about 10,000 individuals.
The number of Iraqi individuals with links to ISIS is around 30,000, Godfrey said.
“We are working with the Government of Iraq and others to try to get moved back to Iraq as expeditiously and responsibly as we can,” he added.
