Children in the Grip of Extremism: SDF Uncovers ISIS Secret Cells in Roj Camp

On the second day of its campaign at the Roj camp, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) internal security forces discovered secret centers used to train youth and children in the ideology of the extremist ISIS group. They seized light weapons, logistical equipment, including computers and mobile phones, documents, and materials containing seals and movements of ISIS sleeper cells in this isolated camp.

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During the early hours of Sunday and after combing through most of the tents and sectors of the camp located in northeastern Syria, which houses families of ISIS militants, the Kurdish forces announced the arrest of six individuals involved in collaborating with active ISIS cells outside the camp.

The operation targeted a thorough inspection of all the tents and found centers for training children and adolescents, giving them lessons and courses on extremist ideologies, as well as mobile devices and logistical equipment. A document was also seized that was used by the organization’s cells in their operations and communications with their supporters.

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Regarding the progress of the security campaign, its timeline, and the risks of the escalation of movements by ISIS-affiliated cells in these camps, a leader in the SDF internal security forces at the camp, Awaz Walat, stated to “Asharq Al-Awsat” that after receiving intelligence reports, which she cross-referenced with the guards and collaborators inside the camp, alongside monitoring phone calls and tracking the movements of suspects, “We uncovered plans by groups working to organize ISIS ranks and rally its supporters.”

The Roj camp, located in a remote rocky area in the southeastern countryside of the town of Malikiya (Derek) near the Iraqi border, is one of several camps that have held families and relatives of ISIS members over the past years. It currently houses about 2,600 people, including nearly 900 foreign women from 50 Western and Arab nationalities. 65% of the residents are children under the age of 14. Among the women are mothers of more than 800 isolated male children living in rehabilitation and training centers overseen by the Syrian Democratic Forces.

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The security leader reported that ISIS networks are working to regain supporters inside the camp, and “initial investigations revealed documents related to the organization showing secret movements aimed at funding operations to liberate the camp’s residents.” More concerning are the efforts to turn tents into secret centers for teaching children and adolescents, training them in the extremist (ISIS) ideology. She emphasized that “this, in itself, is a major challenge that requires international and global efforts to uproot it.”

Commenting on the existence of secret centers for training and educating children in these camps, which lack schools and specialized rehabilitation centers, Sherine Jolly, Executive Director of the “Center for Research and Protection of Women and Children’s Rights,” stated that they have been providing legal advice to camp residents for five years, in cooperation with “Rebi Dev,” an international human rights organization.

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In her conversation with “Asharq Al-Awsat,” she mentioned that they closely followed reports about the movements of ISIS cells, saying: “We were collecting testimonies from women who were threatened and subjected to violence by other extremists, who told us that these extremists organized secret lessons in their tents to teach their children and other boys the organization’s ideas.”

She explained that her center has been working for years to rehabilitate children in the camp through special curricula, which include 13 discussion sessions and training courses to provide psychological and social support to the children. Jolly confirmed: “Our sessions include recreational and physical activities with lessons on how to control and manage anger, how to help my community, and how to distinguish between supportive and non-supportive friends,” which serve as tools to confront the dangers and activities of these women supporting the organization, as she put it.

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