By Samah Abdul Fattah | 2024-11-22

Inside the Kurdish-run camps of al-Hol and Roj in Syria's al-Hasakeh province, which house the families of "Islamic State of Syria and Iraq" (ISIS) fighters, thousands of children endure harsh conditions and extremist indoctrination.

At least 25,000 children and teenagers reside at at al-Hol camp, Kurdish Red Crescent relief department worker Nermin Othman told Al-Fassel.

But the exact number remains unclear as many ISIS women deliberately conceal children and refuse to report births, Othman said.

"The women's section blocks, particularly those controlled by extremists, are rarely entered due to the sensitivity of the situation," she said.

"These areas are only periodically searched through extensive security operations, conducted with women's teams from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to avoid friction and prevent women from objecting."

A recent security sweep revealed dozens of unregistered children under the age of three.

This indicates that female extremists "are implementing a systematic plan to marry men in the camp solely to produce children, preparing a new generation of 'caliphate cubs' for future roles inside or outside the camp," Othman said.

Trauma and indoctrination

Children at the two camps "live in conditions completely inappropriate for their age," Othman said.

Some children at the camp "have lost family members and carry deep trauma, expressing their loss through drawings of deceased relatives alongside future aspirations," Roj camp social worker Samia al-Issa told Al-Fassel.

Others, whose mothers subscribe to ISIS's violent ideology, "think only in terms of killing and blood," she said.

"Many have absorbed terrorist ideology from early childhood, evident in their responses to questions and drawings, which often feature ISIS themes of killing and punishment," al-Issa said.

While some mothers allow their children to participate in recreational activities or group sessions, she said, this is usually in exchange for special requests or transfers to different camp blocks.

The situation grows more critical as children age.

"Those who have internalized ISIS ideology may be transferred to extremist prisons, effectively becoming ISIS members themselves, at which point rehabilitation becomes nearly impossible," al-Issa warned.

Humanitarian organizations and camp administrators have tried to counter extremist influences, but their efforts face significant obstacles.

Some of the children's mothers, former ISIS wives, actively undermine these initiatives, said Roshan Kobani of the Women's Protection Units (YPJ) in al-Hol.

Separating children from their mothers to prevent indoctrination creates its own ethical challenges, she told Al-Fassel.

"So work was done with many mothers to try to treat the issue from the top of the pyramid," Kobani said. "But the results were modest, as the mothers had deeply imbibed the terrorist ideology as well."