According to reports, around 200 German jihadis, known as “Ghosts” in official jargon, are believed to have gone missing in Syria. It is not clear whether they have been killed or are hiding at unknown locations.
Among them is reportedly a high-ranking terrorist who allegedly trained the attackers for the November 13, 2015, Paris attacks, which resulted in the deaths of 130 people. Since the start of the Syrian civil war in 2011, it is officially stated that around 1,150 individuals from Germany have joined the Islamic State (IS) group. About a third of them are believed to have been killed and several dozen are living in tent camps and prisons in northeastern Syria.
The situation in the camps and prisons is escalating, particularly since US President Donald Trump cut the funding for development aid and the USAID agency, which has been deemed unconstitutional in a recent court decision. The control and provision of the camps depend largely on international aid.
More than 40,000 people, mostly women and children of IS fighters, are living in two tent camps in the Kurdish regions of northeastern Syria, in addition to several prisons holding IS fighters.
Experts and human rights organizations have been calling for the orderly repatriation of foreign nationals from the camps for years, but so far, there is no sign of this happening. The European Union is also reportedly alarmed, as the European External Action Service is set to hold an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the future of the Al Hol and Roj camps in northern Syria. The meeting will focus on preventing the return of terrorists to their home countries.