The Roj Camp: A Legacy of War, Six Years On
The Roj detention camp in Kurdish-held northeast Syria continues to hold families of former Islamic State (ISIS) fighters, nearly six years after the group's territorial defeat. The camp houses approximately 2,300 residents, with Save the Children reporting that about 60% are children. The facility relies entirely on humanitarian aid, which has faced severe disruptions from funding cuts and ongoing regional fighting.
Camp Demographics and Conditions
Rows of plastic tents sit on bare earth, housing residents from nearly 60 different countries. Many women attempt to home-school their children despite lacking internet access and school books.
Aid groups, including Save the Children, continue to operate at the site. However, deliveries were disrupted by cuts from USAID in 2023 and by fighting in February 2024. The United States and other countries provide funding for the camps but are not involved in daily administration.
Older teenage boys have been transferred out of the camp as they age. Due to insufficient de-radicalization programs, some have been placed in prisons with adult ISIS suspects.
Security Situation and Resurgent Threats
In January 2024, advances by Syrian government forces created a security vacuum in parts of the region. Kurdish officials state this has contributed to a resurgence of ISIS activity. The main camp for ISIS families, al-Hol, closed in February 2024 amid fighting between Syrian forces and Syrian Kurdish fighters, with residents escaping or being transferred.
"ISIS followers in the camp packed their belongings believing they would be rescued by elements of the new Syrian government."
Chavare Afrin, head of security at Roj Camp, reported that these individuals threatened to behead security personnel before leaving. Afrin stated that camp security was not breached, which she attributes to the Kurdish majority in the surrounding area.
Kurdish counter-terrorism officials have reported a significant increase in attacks by ISIS cells across the region. Siyamend Ali, a spokesman for the People's Protection Units (YPG), reported a "10-fold increase" in ISIS attacks. He attributed the rise to a security vacuum following the ousting of Bashar al-Assad's regime in December 2024 and the militants' acquisition of weapons from former regime warehouses.
Repatriation Efforts and Legal Limbo
The Kurdish-led region in Syria lacks an internationally recognized justice system. No foreign camp residents or prison inmates accused of being ISIS fighters have been formally charged with any crime.
In February 2024, a group of Australian women and children obtained passports and were permitted to leave Roj Camp. They were turned back at a Syrian government checkpoint, which stated their departure had not been coordinated with authorities, and were returned to the camp. Mila Ibrahim, co-chair of the camp administration, stated this was an exceptional case permitted on humanitarian grounds after discussions with the Australian government. Following media reports, the Australian government described the families as a potential security risk and stated it would not assist their return.
Detainees requesting repatriation state they are prepared to face justice in their home countries. Russia, Kazakhstan, and some Eastern European countries have repatriated large numbers of their nationals. European countries have repatriated from a few dozen to a few hundred citizens, with France having the highest numbers. The United States has had relatively few citizens join ISIS.
"We did your duty, we managed to bring them to this stage, and now it's their duty for all the countries to bring back their citizens."
— Chavare Afrin, Head of Security at Roj Camp
Kurdish authorities have called for years for other governments to repatriate their detained citizens.
Individual Cases
Hoda Muthana, a 31-year-old woman identified by authorities as American, stated she is struggling and scared for her situation and her son's. Born in New Jersey, the U.S. government revoked her citizenship after her detention in Syria, stating she should not have been issued the passport she used to travel. Muthana stated that if allowed to return to the United States, she would try to help de-radicalize young people.
An unnamed Australian woman described how her daughter, born in the camp, experienced the outside world briefly before being returned to detention.
Broader Detention Context
Kurdish authorities are detaining approximately 8,000 suspected ISIS fighters from 48 countries, held indefinitely in prisons without trial. Al-Sina prison in Al Hasakah is the largest facility. Prison officials report that tuberculosis is present among detainees and that ISIS leaders, referred to as "emirs," maintain influence within the prison wings.
Approximately 34,000 family members of suspected fighters, including wives and children, are detained in tented camps. Human rights groups have characterized these detentions as collective punishment. The United Nations states that the detention of residents, none of whom have been charged with a crime, contravenes international law.
Background
ISIS took over large parts of Iraq and Syria in 2014, declaring an Islamic caliphate and attracting over 50,000 foreigners. The group was pushed out of Iraq by U.S. and Iraqi forces and made its last stand in Syria. In 2019, U.S. and Syrian Kurdish forces recaptured ISIS's last remaining territory in Baghuz, Syria. Fighters who were not killed were imprisoned, and their families were detained. The Kurdish-led region broke away from Syrian regime control in 2012.