Closure of Al-Hol camp in Syria raises concerns over thousands linked to Daesh, UN Security Council told
NEW YORK CITY: The closure of Syria’s Al-Hol camp in February has resulted in heightened security and humanitarian concerns, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Wednesday.
The whereabouts of thousands of Daesh-linked individuals and members of their families who were held in the camp remain unclear, they said, warning that the militant group remains a serious risk to international peace and security.
Briefing council members on a recent report by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on the threat posed by Daesh, Oguljeren Niyazberdiyeva, chief of the Office of the Under-Secretary-General at the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, reiterated a call by Guterres for the safe, voluntary and dignified repatriation of those affected by the closing of the camp, conducted in accordance with the principles of international law.
She said the closure had taken place amid a broader, evolving political and security landscape in Syria that continues to reshape the threat environment.
