Dani

So in the beginning of 2019, ISIS was sort of squeezed into this little corner in the eastern side of Syria between the Euphrates and the Iraqi border. And when the state collapsed, or the caliphate collapsed, a lot of these people had nowhere to go. And a lot of them were foreigners who were coming from abroad. And when I say a lot, I mean like tens of thousands.

There were something like 20,000 families left within Susa and Bagos, like the last parts of the caliphate, to hold out. And they didn't have anywhere to go. There were already camps set up for IDPs and for members of ISIS and families in northern Syria. But al-Hol was rapidly expanded to take these on. So it's a sort of semi-prison, semi-open camp.

There were something like 20,000 families left within Susa and Bagos, like the last parts of the caliphate, to hold out. And they didn't have anywhere to go. There were already camps set up for IDPs and for members of ISIS and families in northern Syria. But al-Hol was rapidly expanded to take these on. So it's a sort of semi-prison, semi-open camp.

There were something like 20,000 families left within Susa and Bagos, like the last parts of the caliphate, to hold out. And they didn't have anywhere to go. There were already camps set up for IDPs and for members of ISIS and families in northern Syria. But al-Hol was rapidly expanded to take these on. So it's a sort of semi-prison, semi-open camp.

that I think peaked at 75,000 people, which it sounds like a lot on its own, but when you consider that a large city in northern Syria is about 150,000 people, it still is significant. You probably have more accurate recent figures than me, but I think the current population is about 40,000.

that I think peaked at 75,000 people, which it sounds like a lot on its own, but when you consider that a large city in northern Syria is about 150,000 people, it still is significant. You probably have more accurate recent figures than me, but I think the current population is about 40,000.

that I think peaked at 75,000 people, which it sounds like a lot on its own, but when you consider that a large city in northern Syria is about 150,000 people, it still is significant. You probably have more accurate recent figures than me, but I think the current population is about 40,000.

The big problem that the self-administration have had is multitude, really. Many of the people there are foreigners. Many of them don't have papers. Many of them come from countries that either don't want them back or will almost certainly execute them if they're sent back, like Iraq, which is against the policy of the abolition of death penalty in Syria.

The big problem that the self-administration have had is multitude, really. Many of the people there are foreigners. Many of them don't have papers. Many of them come from countries that either don't want them back or will almost certainly execute them if they're sent back, like Iraq, which is against the policy of the abolition of death penalty in Syria.

The big problem that the self-administration have had is multitude, really. Many of the people there are foreigners. Many of them don't have papers. Many of them come from countries that either don't want them back or will almost certainly execute them if they're sent back, like Iraq, which is against the policy of the abolition of death penalty in Syria.

There are some in Al-Hol, but mostly in other camps in the north and east of Syria, former ISIS members like Shammam and Begum who come from countries like the UK who simply won't take them back. And the UK is taking back some families that simply refuses to take back their citizens who joined ISIS as, you know, card-carrying members. Yeah.

There are some in Al-Hol, but mostly in other camps in the north and east of Syria, former ISIS members like Shammam and Begum who come from countries like the UK who simply won't take them back. And the UK is taking back some families that simply refuses to take back their citizens who joined ISIS as, you know, card-carrying members. Yeah.

There are some in Al-Hol, but mostly in other camps in the north and east of Syria, former ISIS members like Shammam and Begum who come from countries like the UK who simply won't take them back. And the UK is taking back some families that simply refuses to take back their citizens who joined ISIS as, you know, card-carrying members. Yeah.

So they've made a pretty massive effort to repatriate as many families as possible. They've made a big effort to rehabilitate and de-radicalise as many people as possible. They have shrunk the camp massively, but they're still... yeah, 40,000 or something left there. And these are like really, a lot of them are really radical.

So they've made a pretty massive effort to repatriate as many families as possible. They've made a big effort to rehabilitate and de-radicalise as many people as possible. They have shrunk the camp massively, but they're still... yeah, 40,000 or something left there. And these are like really, a lot of them are really radical.

So they've made a pretty massive effort to repatriate as many families as possible. They've made a big effort to rehabilitate and de-radicalise as many people as possible. They have shrunk the camp massively, but they're still... yeah, 40,000 or something left there. And these are like really, a lot of them are really radical.

Like I think, I don't know what an exact number is, but something in the order of 10,000 of them are still like professionally members of ISIS. And they have a lot of children. And this was something that shocked me when I was at the end of the caliphate in Baghdad and witnessed tens of thousands of people coming out. And I could not, have imagined how many children there were.

Like I think, I don't know what an exact number is, but something in the order of 10,000 of them are still like professionally members of ISIS. And they have a lot of children. And this was something that shocked me when I was at the end of the caliphate in Baghdad and witnessed tens of thousands of people coming out. And I could not, have imagined how many children there were.

Like I think, I don't know what an exact number is, but something in the order of 10,000 of them are still like professionally members of ISIS. And they have a lot of children. And this was something that shocked me when I was at the end of the caliphate in Baghdad and witnessed tens of thousands of people coming out. And I could not, have imagined how many children there were.

And this was like, what, five years ago now, coming up to six years ago. So some of them who were, you know, seven, eight, nine years old are now like heading towards their mid-teens. They've spent their entire lives being radicalized. And like, what do you do with them?