The Syrian Democratic Forces accused the Ministry of Interior in the Damascus government of attempting to “evade responsibility” for the recent events witnessed at al-Hol camp, indicating that factions affiliated with Damascus bear responsibility for the failure in managing the camp after taking control of it, according to an official statement issued by the SDF Media Center on February 25, 2026.
The statement explained that the Syrian Democratic Forces had “followed the statements issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior in the Damascus government, through which he attempted to evade responsibility for what happened in al-Hol camp and the clear failure in managing its file after it was taken over by the forces of the Ministries of Interior and Defense.”
The statement pointed out that the recent developments were preceded by military movements and field escalation, stating: “The events were preceded by direct attacks and military build-ups by factions affiliated with Damascus toward the camp, and the clashes reached its walls, coinciding with coordinated movements inside the camp by families of ISIS members to stir chaos.” It added that this escalation, “and in light of suspicious international silence, forced our forces to withdraw in order to avoid turning the camp into an open battlefield.”
The forces stressed in their statement that the factions which later entered the camp were involved in operations to remove and smuggle out the families of ISIS members, explaining: “Following that, those factions entered the camp and began removing the families of ISIS members in front of the cameras of their own elements. Smuggling operations continued for more than a week in a public and documented manner, under the watch and supervision of members of the Ministries of Defense and Interior in the Damascus government, in a scene for which the parties that assumed actual control and administration at that time bear responsibility.” The statement affirmed that “these facts are documented by audio and video and cannot be erased by misleading media statements.”
In the same context, the forces stated that they had managed the camp for years under complex circumstances, saying: “Our forces and the camp administration fulfilled their humanitarian, moral, and security duties over the years, despite the complexities of this file, the lack of adequate support, and the ongoing security challenges. Our primary and ultimate concern was to protect the residents and prevent the re-formation of the organization’s cells inside or outside the camp.”
They also considered that the recent statements issued by the Ministry of Interior carry political dimensions, adding: “Therefore, the statements issued by the spokesperson of the Ministry of Interior are irresponsible and cannot be separated from political efforts to mislead public opinion and divert attention from the security and administrative gaps that accompanied the period during which those factions controlled the camp.”
In conclusion, the Syrian Democratic Forces emphasized a number of key points, most notably that “our forces’ withdrawal came as a direct result of the military attack and build-ups that targeted the camp and its surroundings by Damascus,” and that “the operations of removing and smuggling ISIS families took place after Damascus-affiliated factions entered and were directly involved in those operations,” stressing that “our forces, over the past years, were the party most committed to managing this complex file in accordance with the possible humanitarian and security standards.”
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