Exclusive: Syrians describe abuse by the SDF at al-Hol camp, deny connection to IS

Displaced people living in Al-Hol camp have spoken for the first time about years of harsh detention conditions inside the camp, saying that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had held displaced Syrians there as well as families of Islamic State (IS) members.

They told The New Arab's sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that they wanted the Syrian government to find a solution to the camp's conditions and to reintegrate them into society.

The displaced residents said they endured abuse by the SDF, including being labelled as "terrorists" and subjected to humiliating arrest campaigns. They said children in the camp were used to convey a distorted image promoted by the SDF for political purposes.

Yahya, who arrived at the camp at the age of eight, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed about life inside Al-Hol.

“I left Aleppo when I was eight due to the war. Today I am 19,” he said. “We fled from al-Baghuz after a journey of displacement. We were told we would stay in the camp for a few days, and I arrived here injured from shelling.”

He said doctors in the camp treated injured people badly. “There was a doctor called Hussein. Anyone who was injured would have their wound scraped without anaesthetic, in a retaliatory way,” he said. “People here want to return to their homes. IS elements were imprisoned or killed. None of them are here.”

Speaking about the future, Yahya said, “We do not expect anything positive. Our morale has been shattered. There are no services, and the situation is bad. With the current chaos, medical centres have stopped operating. Previously, media outlets instructed children on what to say and gave them money to claim that IS remains at the camp. After journalists left, people were beaten and humiliated.”

Mohammad Youssef Murad said, “I entered the camp in 2018. We are displaced civilians who fled the war. They told us we would leave within two days. We were not allowed to approach the fence.  A seven-year-old child was killed after his ball hit the fence and he tried to retrieve it.”

Murad said the SDF previously raided tents, claiming weapons were inside. “They brought children in front of cameras to say: ‘The Islamic State remains.’ Charges were fabricated, and many young men were arrested. Children arrived at the camp at the age of 11 and turned 17 there,” he said.

He added that SDF fighters stole aid delivered by humanitarian organisations, including mobile phones, beat young men and fabricated charges against them.

Murad said he arrived at the camp at the age of 11. “The raids were the hardest thing we faced. They beat women and beat us,” he said. “I used to take risks at night just to watch a football match. We could not do anything.”

Murad said, “I am originally from Idlib. I live in the camp with my mother and siblings. We used to be hopeful and happy, but our lives were turned upside down. I left the camp and saw houses and trees, and after government forces took control, conditions improved. Education here is very poor. Many young men and children have had their futures destroyed. There are no schools beyond sixth grade. We are all civilians.” 

He added, “The camp is divided into sections. Foreign women are kept separate, and children are not allowed to have mobile phones. In that section, children are separated from their mothers.” 

Fatima described what she called a long journey of suffering. “Since 2011, we have been displaced because of shelling, oppression by the regime and air strikes,” she said. “We were in an area targeted by the regime. After displacement, we reached Al-Mayadin in 2018, and the SDF brought us to Al-Hol camp, where we remain. We are not terrorists or IS members. We live normal lives.”

She said the SDF “hate us and call us terrorists, even small children”.

“They tried to plant this idea in the children and in us,” she said. “They forced us to speak to the press and demand the dismantling of the camp. When the camp is dismantled, we will integrate, and there will be no terrorism. We are not terrorists.”

Fatima said night raids were frequent. “They raid us, insult us and accuse us. We do not know what the charges are,” she said. “They dig holes, place weapons inside them and accuse us. They call us and our children terrorists and fabricate terrorism charges.”

She said she was detained for four days. “I almost went insane. I did not know why they took me,” she said. “More than 10 people raided us, tearing the tent apart. They wanted to promote the idea that there was terrorism and IS elements in the camp. Our children want education and work, not to stay in the camp for aid.”

Fatima appealed to Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to look into the situation of women in the camp and decide on their departure and reintegration.

“We ask for mercy for our children and us,” she said. “We were subjected to terrorism during the cold and faced extremely difficult conditions. They force us to stay outside the tents during the day, damage the tents and steal what is inside.”

She added, “Some of us worked with organisations and supported ourselves. Some work in vegetables and clothing, while others rely on family support. Aid comes every two months. Sometimes the SDF carries out campaigns and takes food supplies. Conditions were very bad. But humanitarian organisations were somewhat kind.”

Um Sarah, another displaced woman, told The New Arab she did not come to the camp by choice. “We were displaced from place to place because of shelling, and our last stop was here,” she said.

“I have no connection to IS. We left our areas because of shelling in the Deir Ezzor countryside. The camp was previously open but was later closed and turned into a prison. “Life was extremely hard: living in tents, rain, and arrests without reason.”

Um Sarah said her brother-in-law, a schoolteacher, was taken in 2020, and nothing has been known about him since. “We want to know something about him, or for the Red Cross to be allowed into prisons to see what is inside,” she said.

“Most people in the camp do not know what IS is. Some were with the group, but everyone is being punished for IS. We hope things will improve and that we will have freedom of opinion.”

Al-Hol camp, about 13 kilometres from the Iraqi border, houses around 37,000 people living in very poor conditions, according to data released in February.

Most are women and children. The population includes about 16,000 Syrians, 15,000 Iraqis and around 6,000 foreign nationals. Repatriation of Iraqi families from the camp began in 2021, with about 14,500 people transferred to Iraq by April.