The European Union is considering financing the security of controversial prisoner camps in northern Syria, where tens of thousands of fighters from the terrorist group “Islamic State” (IS) and their families are detained. During a crisis meeting in Brussels on Wednesday, as reported by the “Spiegel” the European External Service warned that the surveillance of the camps is acutely endangered by the step-by-step withdrawal of the US military from the region and the cuts in US aid. Anti-terrorism coordinator Bartjan Wegter urged that the collapse of the massive prisoner camps must be prevented at all costs.
The camps are currently being guarded by the Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led rebel group that was heavily supported by the US. Wegter warned that a mass escape of the detainees would not only pose a significant security risk for the region but also for Europe. The cost of securing the camps is estimated to be $150 million per year. Germany supports the idea of financially supporting the surveillance.
In the mega-camps al-Haul and al-Roj, where the military defeat of the terrorist group IS has been achieved, several tens of thousands of people have been detained under harsh conditions, including suspected IS fighters from Europe. The human rights situation is considered catastrophic. The German government has therefore repeatedly brought German citizens, mostly the wives of suspects and their small children, out of the camps and back to Germany in recent years. Currently, there are still 13 German women in the al-Roj camp.