Shafaq News– Vatican City
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) Leader, Masoud Barzani, on Wednesday warned that fears of an ISIS resurgence “are growing,” as instability deepens in northeastern Syria and security around key detention sites remains fragile.
Speaking to reporters during his visit to the Vatican, Barzani said the threat posed by ISIS “concerns everyone” and requires collective action, adding that he asked Pope Leo XIV to lend moral support to efforts aimed at countering extremism and restoring stability in the region.
The warning comes as Syria’s Interior Ministry declared Al-Hol camp in Hasakah, which holds ISIS members and their families, a restricted zone, deploying security forces to secure the camp and nearby detention facilities. Syrian authorities said operations are underway to track down remaining ISIS detainees who escaped during earlier security breaches.
The Syrian army has accused the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which previously controlled the camp, of abandoning the area, saying the withdrawal allowed around 120 detainees to escape, although 81 were later recaptured.
The developments have heightened concern in Baghdad over the fate of ISIS prisoners held near the Iraqi border. Iraqi officials estimate that between 9,000 and 10,000 ISIS fighters remain in custody in northeastern Syria, along with tens of thousands of family members, including more than 3,000 Iraqi nationals.