European Union leaders fear that Islamic State (IS)-linked detainees being held in two Syrian camps might soon be freed and headed their way.
Senior figures are meeting tomorrow to discuss plans after U.S. president Donald Trump paused funding to the Kurdish-run Al Hol and Roj camps. These hold around 55,000 people, many of whom are the families of IS fighters.
One Brussels official told Politico that at the top of the agenda is ensuring “the terrorists don’t come to Europe”—something that could well happen if the funding gap is not plugged and control of the camps is handed to the new Syrian government, which has “difficulties controlling its territory.”
Amnesty International has pointed to the fact that many in these camps are women and children, and that some actually fled from IS. Almost 4,000 are also understood to be European nationals. Yet Brussels will resist America’s proposal to repatriate their nationals because, as one official put it,
The EU citizens there are not necessarily people member states will be rushing to welcome back in a disorganised manner.
Whatever their background, it is also understood that people at the camps are being moulded by radicals. After a recent visit of its own, U.S. network NBC cited officials describing Al Hol as “a breeding ground for the next generation of militants.”
Camp director Jihan Hanan stressed that “a mindset of radicalism is instilled in the residents” of what she described as “one of the most dangerous camps in the world.”
They are only becoming more extreme.
Previous efforts to stop Syrian refugees moving to Europe suggest that there could be trouble ahead.
