Major smuggling operation of Islamic State families from al-Hawl camp to Idlib

Al-Hawl camp in the far south countryside of al-Hasakeh is witnessing continuous smuggling of ISIS families of women and children of different nationalities by some of the camp’s guards for large sums of money paid by these families, where these families receive large sums of money as remittances in the camp with facilities and bribes.

Despite SDF intelligence security campaigns against the camp’s guards, in which a number of the camp’s guards were arrested on corruption charges, smuggling operations continue.

In this context, SOHR reveals the details of the escape of about 15 foreign women of ISIS families with 20 children from Al-Hawl camp to the areas held by HTS and factions in Idlib province, with the help of a network of smugglers, in mid-2020.

A man close to these women has informed the Syrian Observatory that an ISIS leader coordinated with one of fugitive women, and provided them with substantial financial support, so that they could escape from the Al-Hawl camp. One of these women managed to convince a guard in the camp named “Shayar” after paying an estimated $35,000 to get out from the camp with their children to the northern Aleppo countryside.

The escape started at night, where all of them managed to get out in two batches. The first of which included seven women and ten children, and the second one included eight women and ten children, using SDF vehicles from the camp gate, without being searched. They arrived after many hours in the areas held by Turkish-backed factions in the northeastern Aleppo countryside.

SOHR source added that the people in the SDF vehicles were coordinating with others of Turkish-backed factions, so that they can deliver women and children to the agreed place with the ISIS leader of to take the agreed amount.

In Aleppo countryside, the fugitive group was received by a person named “Abu Mohammed”, who took them to a house to spend the night in the town of Ghandoura, northeast of Aleppo. Then a person named “Abu Ayoub al-Ansari” arrived, an administrator of the Islamic State. The group of women and children was handed over to hime, and at the same time, the agreed money was paid to the so-called “Shayar.”

The women live with their children in the countryside of Salqin, north of Idlib. SOHR source added that the ISIS administrators provide them with shelter with the estimated rent of $200, as well as monthly salaries provided by ISIS, where the woman’s salary is $100 and the child $20.

It is worth nothing that “Shayar” the facilitator of the escape was arrested by the SDF intelligence four months ago, shortly after this escape, on charges of corruption.

Source: SOHR