The Ministry of Interior under Syria’s transitional government has designated the Al-Hol special camp and all detention centers housing Islamic State (IS, banned in Russia) affiliates in the country’s northeast as restricted security zones. These facilities, which hold family members of former militants and high-risk detainees, are now subject to heightened security protocols.
"The Al-Hol camp and the prisons where security forces were recently deployed are now classified as restricted security zones," the ministry stated in a report carried by the Al-Ikhbaria television channel.
The ministry further confirmed that "these areas are currently secured, and operations are underway to locate escaped detainees," adding a stern warning that "approaching these sites is strictly prohibited and will result in legal prosecution."
The announcement follows reports from security sources cited by Al Jazeera that 11 foreign national women and their children were apprehended and returned to Al-Hol following a brief escape.
On January 20, transitional security forces officially assumed control of Al-Hol and all IS-related prisons in the northeast — facilities previously guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). While the SDF reported a planned withdrawal of its units, the Syrian Ministry of Defense accused the coalition of deliberately releasing inmates at the Al-Shaddadi prison, which houses thousands of IS supporters. According to security data, approximately 120 detainees escaped during the transition; 81 has since been re-arrested.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: Y. Boechat (VOA)/Public Domain
Based on materials from TASS