ISIS terror threat: Fears grow as 11,000 fighters plan break-out from Kurdish-ran camps
THOUSANDS of captured ISIS fighters could be planning a mass break-out of their desert detention camps as Turkey steps up its military offensive against Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria, US officials have warned.
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The sprawling camps are patrolled by Kurdish Syrian Defence Force (SDF) personnel but could be left unguarded as troops are moved to face the Turkish soldiers entering Syria across its northern borders. And fears are growing of a fresh wave of ISIS attacks in the event of the bloodthirsty terrorists regrouping and regaining a foothold in the war-ravaged region.
The Turkish offensive has challenged our ability to build local security forces
One senior US security source said the day-old Turkish operation has already had a “detrimental effect” on counter-ISIS operations which had “effectively stopped”.
He said: “The Turkish offensive has challenged our ability to build local security forces, conduct stabilisation operations and the Syrian Democratic Force’s ability to guard over 11,000 dangerous ISIS fighters.”
Donald Trump, who is coming under growing pressure over the impact of his decision to remove US troops from the Syria, claimed some of the most dangerous ISIS prisoners had been moved.
The US President said: “We’re putting them in other areas where it’s secure.”
He then went on to dismiss the threat to US homeland security, saying: “Well, they’re going to be escaping to Europe.”
US officials were already growing increasingly concerned about the vulnerability of the Syrian camps in which between 11,000 and 12,000 ISIS fighters have been held since their capture on the battlefield.
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Around 2,000 of the detainees are foreigners ISIS fighters not from Iraq or Syria but only several hundred are believed to be from Europe.
The officials fear the security of the camps is in question and a “huge concern” as SDF personnel head to the front lines.
One said: ”SDF will focus on the fight. The fear is that they abandon post. It’s a really bad situation.”
Hundreds of ISIS prisoners continue to be held in “pop-up prisons” close to the Turkish border.
Some SDF fighters had already left their posts at various prisons before the Turkish offensive began and had headed north.
SDF commanders suspended their counter-ISIS operations to focus on the Turkish offensive as soon as the the operation got underway.
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An SDF spokesman said one of the makeshift camps holding ISIS detainees had been bombed during a Turkish airstrike.
In a Twitter post from the verified SDF account, the group said: “One of the prisons that ISIS detainees held in was struck by Turkish airstrike.
“Turkey is aiming to undermine all successful efforts and achievements that we gained during our fighting against ISIS.”
Mr Trump’s decision to pull US troops from the area and give Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the green light for his assault against the Kurds has provoked a growing backlash both in the US and abroad.
Mr Erdogan said 109 Kurdish militants had been killed since Turkey launched its operation but there has been no word on civilian casualties.