ISIS camp a 'perfect place' for next generation of ISIS, US commander says

This place is a perfect place for the next generation of ISIS, Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of the U.S. Central Command, said in a statement after visiting Al -Hol. ISIS wants to exploit these horrific conditions. The growing threat of terrorism poses a political problem for Biden, threatening to undermine his vow not to allow ISIS to reconstitute. Biden believes that the U.S. can continue to fight terrorism despite an increasingly shrinking troop presence overseas, pointing out two operations this year: a raid by U.S. special forces in northwestern Syria that led to the death of ISIS's top leader, and a drone strike in Afghanistan that killed the head of al Qaeda.

It is a complex problem. There are humanitarian elements to it, but there is a security element as well, a senior administration official said. We are trying to find creative approaches and new resources to solve the same problem that has been evolving over the last few years. Al-Hol has grown from 10,000 to 57,000 residents over the past three years, about 90% of them are women and children, according to the U.S. government. At least 80 babies are born there every month, and 40,000 of the children are under the age of 12, according to the government data. About 8,000 of the women are jihadists and wives and widows of ISIS fighters who have organized their own religious police units, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace recently reported.

A recent three-week operation at Al-Hol — conducted by the Syrian Democratic Forces, found women and girls who were chained, tortured and sexually abused, according to the U.S. military. One Yazidi girl found inside a tent, had been held captive by ISIS for eight years, routinely raped and sold as a slave since she was taken from her family in Iraq when she was 9.

The operation led by the SDF, which is nominally in charge of the camp, resulted in the arrest of hundreds of ISIS fighters and the discovery of dozens of tunnels where the group's operatives had stored weapons and supplies, including more than 50 pounds of explosives.

The administration officials are worried that the tens of thousands of children at al-Hol are particularly vulnerable to being recruited by ISIS or forced to join.

The senior administration official said that they were deeply concerned that al-Hol is tied to one of our primary objectives for all of Syria, which is to prevent the resurgence of ISIS.

U.S. officials have said there is no military solution to al-Hol and instead are trying to stop the growth of ISIS through diplomatic outreach. There is a plan that includes improving living conditions for those who can't leave, according to officials at the State Department, National Security Council and Pentagon.

The issue is adding to diplomatic and military engagements, including asking every country with citizens at al-Hol what the hurdles are to repatriate them.

A NSC spokeswoman said the United States supports and applauds recent repatriations. Our efforts to encourage repatriations and offer support are ongoing. The NSC spokesman deferred to countries that have agreed to repatriate their citizens for comment on their efforts.

The camp's size and makeup changed dramatically in March 2019 when the Syrian Democratic Forces defeated ISIS fighters in Baghouz, Syria. The battle there was seen as the last stand of ISIS, and its defeat marked the fall of the self-proclaimed caliphate of the terrorist group.