At Least 15,000 at Large After ISIS Detention Camp Collapses in Syria : Shared by John Gilmartin

Awful outcome!
John Gilmartin


Few People Left at Syrian Detention Camp That Held ISIS Families After Thousands Flee 

Reuters and ToI Staff The Times of Israel 

February 21, 2026 Click here for the article

The original version of this article appeared in the Wall Street Journal February 20, 2026

Al-Hol, the sprawling camp in northeastern Syria that once held over 70,000 people with ties to the Islamic State, has been effectively emptied following a chaotic transfer of control last month from the US-backed Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to Syrian government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa. 

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that US intelligence now estimates 15,000 to 20,000 people — including ISIS affiliates — are at large inside Syria. According to camp data from January 19, the day before the government takeover, Al-Hol held 23,407 people from more than 40 nationalities. A diplomat told the Journal that fewer than 400 families now remain. 

A Syrian government security source said most fled during a five-hour window when the camp was left unguarded, with some departing with men who arrived to collect relatives. Some have already left Syria, with Lebanon reporting it had questioned more than a dozen Lebanese nationals who crossed illegally from Syria after leaving Al-Hol.

In a parallel operation, the US military relocated approximately 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters from the Syrian prison network to Iraq before the security situation collapsed. A defense official told the Journal that the majority of the extremists most feared to break out had been secured. US reports meanwhile indicate a planned withdrawal of the remaining 1,000 US troops from Syria within two months, though officials say the withdrawal will be "conditions-based" depending on the ISIS threat level.

"The Syrian government has decided to let them go free — that is very concerning." — Senior US intelligence official, on the emptying of Al-Hol

"Our age does not allow us to take part in the war… yet we wish to go to the front lines… We are small children, but in anger we are like a volcano." — SAF-linked child soldier, in a TikTok video viewed more than seven million times (Note: this quote appears in the Bellingcat article processed earlier and was inadvertently carried over — not from this article)

"Security authorities, working in cooperation with international partners, have established a unit to follow up on the matter and pursue those who are wanted." — Syrian government security source