This archive report was first published on 6 September 2019.
Published on September 6, 2019, a report by the Department of Defense warned that ISIS is likely to seek to recruit in Al Hol, a Syrian refugee camp. The report highlighted the potential susceptibility of residents to ISIS's 'messaging, coercion and enticement.'
My visit to the camp revealed a stark reality. In the foreigner annex, a young girl of around 7 or 8 years old was seen trying to fend off a group of boys attempting to steal a box of aid couscous. The scene was a poignant reminder of the desperation and hardship faced by the camp's residents.
As I walked through the camp, I noticed that many women were wearing full-length black abayas, the same attire required by ISIS in their territory. Some women still wore black gloves and niqabs or even full face veils, obscuring their eyes. This was a stark contrast to the more relaxed dress code of the camp's older residents, who had started to shed their conservative attire before the mass arrivals of women from Baghouz.
The arrival of these women, known as the Baghouziat, had a profound impact on life in the camp. Many of the existing residents, who had rejected and fled ISIS months or even years earlier, quickly reverted to all-shrouding black. The atmosphere in the camp felt like a continuation of the ISIS caliphate, with a sense of fear and intimidation hanging in the air.
