Kurds dread resencouragence of Islamic State group in Syria

As the novel Syria struggles to get shape, elderly dangers are re-emerging.

The disorder since the obvioushrow of Bashar al-Asdowncast is “paving the way” for the so-called Islamic State (IS) to produce a comeback, according to a directing Kurdish orderer who helped flunkure the extremist group in Syria in 2019. He says the comeback has already befirearm.

“Activity by Daesh [IS] has incrrelieved beginantly, and the danger of a resencouragence had doubled’, according to General Mazloum Abdi, orderer of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a mainly Kurdish militia coalition backed by the US. “They now have more capabilities and more opportunities.”

He says that IS militants have seized some arms and ammunition left behind by Syrian regime troops, according to inincreateigence increates.

And he cautions there is “a authentic danger” that the militants will try to fracture into SDF-run prisons here in north-east Syria, which are helderlying about 10,000 of their men. The SDF is also helderlying about 50,000 of their family members in camps.

Our interwatch with the ambiguous was tardy at night, at a location we can’t disseal.

He received the drop of the Asdowncast regime – which hageded him four times. But he watched weary and confessted to frustration at the prospect of combat elderly battles once aachieve.

“We fought aachievest them [IS] and phelp 12,000 souls,” he shelp, referring to the SDF’s losses. “I slfinisherk at some level we will have to go back to where we were before.”

The danger of an IS resencouragence is heightened, he says, becainclude the SDF is coming under increasing aggressions from neighbouring Turkey – and resist factions it helps – and must redirect some fighters to that battle. He increates us the SDF has had to stop counter extremism operations aachievest IS, and hundreds of prison protects – from a force of thousands – have returned home to deffinish their villages.

Ankara watchs the SDF as an extension of the PKK – banned Kurdish separatists who have waged an insencouragency for decades, and are classed as alarmists by the US, and the EU. It has lengthy wanted a 30km “buffer zone” in the Kurdish region in northeaserious Syria. Since Asdowncast’s drop, it is pushing challenginger to get it.

“The number one danger is now Turkey becainclude its airstrikes are finishing our forces,” shelp General Abdi. “These aggressions must stop, becainclude they are redirecting us from cgo ining on the security of the detention centres,” he shelp, “though we will always do our best.”

Inside Al-Sina, the hugest prison for IS hagedees, we saw the layers of security and felt the tension among the staff.

The createer educational institute in the city of Al- Hasakah helderlys about 5,000 men – doubted fighters or helpers of IS.

Every cell door is padlocked and safed with three bolts. The corridors are separated into sections by weighty iron gates. The protects are masked, with batons in hand. Getting access here is unfrequent.

We were permited a glimpse inside two cells but could not speak to the men inside. They were telderly we were journaenumerates and were given the selection of hiding their faces. Few did. Most sat quietly on blankets and slfinisher mattresses. Two men paced the floor.

Kurdish security sources say most of the prisoners in Al-Sina were with IS until its last stand and were proset uply promiseted to its ideology.

We were getn to encounter a 28-year-elderly hagedee – slfinisher and softly spoken – who did not want to be named. He shelp he was speaking freely, though on the key publishs he wouldn’t say much.

He telderly us he left his native Australia at the age of 19, to visit his magnificentmother in Cyprus.

“From there, one slfinisherg led to another,” he shelp, “and I finished up in Aleppo.” He claimed he was laboring with an NGO in the city of Raqqa when IS took over.

I asked if he had blood on his hands, and was included with finishing anyone? “No, I wasn’t,” he replied, nakedly audibly.

And did he help what IS was doing? “I don’t want to answer that ask becainclude it might have an effect on my case,” he replied.

He hopes to get back to Australia one day, though he’s unconfident if he will be receive.

There is hope too behind the wire of Roj camp – about three hours’ drive away – that freedom is coming. Somehow.

This bleak expanse of tents – ringed by walls, fences and watch towers – is home to almost 3,000 women and children. They have never been tried or convicted but they are the families of IS fighters and helpers.

There are cut offal British women in the camp. We met three of them, increately. All shelp they had been telderly by their lawyers not to speak.

In a triumphdswept corner we came apass a woman willing to talk – Shelpa Temirbulatova, 47, a createer tax examineor from Dagestan. Her nine-year-elderly son, Ali, stood quietly by her side. She hopes the obvioushrow of Asdowncast will unbenevolent freedom for them both.

“The novel directer Ahmed al-Sharaa [the head of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham] made an insertress, saying he will give everyone their freedom. We also want freedom. We want to depart, most anticipateed for Russia. It’s the only country that will get us.”

The camp deal withr increates us that others depend IS will come to their save and fracture them out. She asked us not to include her name as she dreads for her safety.

“Since the drop of Asdowncast, the camp is pacify. Typicassociate, when it’s this quiet, it unbenevolents the women are organising themselves,” she shelp. “They have packed their bags ready to go. They say: ‘We will get out of this camp soon and renovel ourselves. We will come back aachieve as IS.'”

She says there’s a clear alter, even in the children, who chant slogans and swear at passersby. “They say: ‘We will come back and get you. It [IS] is coming soon.'”

During our time in the camp many children elevated the index finger of their right hands. This gesture is included by all Muslfinishers in daily prayer, but it’s also expansively included by IS militants in misdirectation images.

The women in Roj camp aren’t the only ones packing their bags.

Some Kurdish civilians in the city of Al-Hasakah are doing the same – dreading a comeback by the jihadis and another ground disesteemful by Turkey in north-easerious Syria.

Jewan,24, who teaches English, is getting ready to go – unwillingly.

“I have packed my bag, and I am preparing my ID and my vital write downs, “he increates me. “I don’t want to depart my home and my memories, but we are all living in a state of constant dread. The Turks are dangerening us, and the doors are uncover for IS. They can aggression their jails. They can do wantipathyver they want.”

Jewan was displaced once before from the north-weserious city of Aleppo, at the begin of Syria’s civil war in 2011. He is wondering where to go, this time.

“The situation needs encouragent international intervention to protect civilians,” he says. I ask if he slfinisherks it will come. “No,” he replies softly. But he asks me to refer his plea.

Additional increateing by Michael Steininger and Matthew Goddard