SULAIMANI (ESTA) — U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have arrested 13 more Islamic State (ISIS) suspects in northeast Syria’s al-Hol camp, according to the group.
The SDF, consisted of Kurdish and Arab fighters, carried out another operation against ISIS sleeper cells in al-Hol Camp, it said in a tweet on Friday.
“A further 13 individuals including 8 Iraqis have been detained for their role in people smuggling out of Al Hol Camp,” the SDF Coordination and Military Operation Center said in a tweet.
“SDF forces remain committed to improving the camp conditions for the residents.”
The camp, controlled by the SDF, holds 62,000 people from many countries, according to the United Nations.
The Syrian Democratic Forces launched a “Humanitarian and Security Operation” in the camp on March 28 to root out ISIS sleeper cells, who the group says has killed at least 47 people in the camp.
The group, backed by the U.S.-led Coalition forces, detained 125 suspected ISIS militants during the operation.
Kurdish authorities have warned that the camp is turning into an extremist powder keg due to ISIS militants hiding out among camp residents.
The SDF have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their citizens held in northeast Syria.
In February, the U.N. rights experts urged 57 states to repatriate nearly 10,000 of their citizens held in the al-Hol camp in “sub-human” conditions without legal process.
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.
