In the permanently altered political situation in Syria following the collapse of the Assad regime, the status of ten thousand ISIS fighters, including two thousand foreigners, as well as tens of thousands of women and children related to them, remains unclear.
The SDF and Internal Security Forces of the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria have watched over several large, make-shift prisons where the fighters have been held since the SDF and US-led Coalition liberated the final ISIS stronghold of Baghuz in March 2019. They have likewise overseen the management of the al-Hawl camp, where tens of thousands of ISIS-linked women and children have lived since then.
The SDF and the US have consistently sounded the alarm on this issue, calling on all countries to take their men, women, and children back to their countries of origin, in order to mitigate the threat. Successive leaders of US Central Command, as well as Congressional Committees have reiterated the importance of addressing the issue many times over the years.
Progress has been made as the camp’s population is now around 40,000 people, a significant decrease from the over 60,000 that resided there in 2021. The nationality most represented in al-Hawl are Iraqis. Iraq has repatriated a total of 17,796 people from the camp, including 2,980 so far in this year alone. Most countries, including France, Spain, Russia, and Central Asian states, have been willing to repatriate their women and children from al-Hawl. However the population remains in the tens of thousands as a significant amount of Syrians live in the camp. The Autonomous Administration has begun creating amnesty agreements, in coordination with local tribes, for those who are not accused of violent crimes under ISIS rule.
Despite this progress, the camp remains a major security risk and target for ISIS breakout attempts. Execute Order 14169, signed on January 20 by the President, halted most foreign aid programs worldwide, including those supporting activities in al-Hawl camp. This affected both humanitarian services that provide the camp with necessities such as water and sanitation. The contractor for training security personnel at al-Hawl, Proximity International, likewise had to stop work. A waiver was issued by the State Department for all aid work at al-Hawl, however the future of funding for these programs remains unclear.
The prisons in which the ISIS fighters themselves are held has proven to be a more difficult issue. Across the board, countries refuse to repatriate the foreign fighters that came to Syria to join the Caliphate, and as a result this population is largely stagnant. The SDF has stated that one of the major points of negotiation with the government in Damascus is the possibility of Damascus taking custody of the imprisoned fighters. Nevertheless, while they remain in indefinite custody and legal limbo, there is a risk of ISIS targeting these facilities to free their fighters, as happened in Hasakah at the al-Sinaa prison in January 2022.