On the night of December 27, the Military Operational Units of the SDF (Syrian Democratic Forces), in cooperation with the Internal Security Forces and the International Coalition forces, conducted a joint security operation in Hol Camp. 

Since the dismantling of the territorial rule of ISIS in March 2019, the Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES) has been confronted with more than 10,000 imprisoned ISIS mercenaries from around sixty different countries. Around 2,000 of them come from Western countries. In addition, the Autonomous Administration is forced to house tens of thousands of family members, some of whom are very indoctrinated. More than 50,000 people are currently housed in the Hol camp near Hesekê. Most are from Syria and Iraq, others from Europe, the Caucasus, North Africa and the Middle and Far East. About half are minors, and many of the children are under twelve years old and are indoctrinated in Islamist ideology.

According to SDF Media Centre, the operation targeted an ISIS senior official called Abu Obeida al-Iraqi aka Abu Muawiyah, an Iraqi national who was responsible for planning terrorist activities in the Hol camp, such as killing the IDPs in the camp, smuggling the so-called “Caliphate Cubs” (ISIS children) to the areas west of the Euphrates and Turkish-occupied areas, planning terrorist attacks targeting the SDF’s security and military points, and threatening the civilian associations and the NGOs /INGOs operating in the Hol camp.

“Following a year and a half of diligent monitoring and thorough investigation within the Hol Camp led our Military Operational Units to identify Abu Obeida as the mastermind behind the terrorist activities within the camp. Our forces raided where the terrorist Abu Obeida was hiding. Equipped with an explosive belt, the terrorist Abu Obeida clashed with our forces, adamantly refusing to surrender. Our forces handled the situation with the utmost professionalism and successfully eliminated the terrorist Abu Obeida,” said the statement by SDF Media Centre.

The SDF emphasized that their forces are committed to ongoing security operations against ISIS, adding: “These efforts aim to thwart ISIS plans, degrade their threat, and establish lasting stability and security in north and eastern Syria.”