US troops have transported hundreds of Daesh (ISIS) terrorists held in various detention camps in northern Syria, following the withdrawal of the troops, Syria's official news agency reported. Isis detainees from al-Houl Camp, which is east of Hasaka city, as well as from camps in the al-Jazeera region, have been evacuated, the report said, citing local sources.
The authenticity of the report cannot be independently confirmed as SANA is a Syrian government mouthpiece. Iran's Fars News also picked up the SANA report.
" ...the US occupation troops have been till recently transporting Daesh terrorists aboard helicopters from one place to another at night to save them from the Syrian Arab Army in different Syrian areas at night, and over the past few day, the US troops have been continuing to transport their tools of Daesh terrorists overtly without any embarrassment," the report said.
In the immediate aftermath of the Turkish offensive against Kurds in the region, the US had evacuated as many as 230 foreign terrorists from al-Malkiya prison to al-Shadadi prison, the report added.
The report further says: "Since the beginning of the Turkish offensive on the Syrian territory, the US occupation forces have transported about hundreds of Daesh terrorists and their families from the Syrian territories to Iraq in six batches as it made its illegitimate base in al-Shadadi, south of Hasaka a center for gathering terrorists and their wives and over the past few day the US forces have transported hundreds of terrorists and their wives from al-Houl Camp and other prisons to al-Shadadi base to be transported later aboard helicopters to Iraq."
Earlier, international media had reported that as many as 60 high-value Isis terror operatives were left behind when the US forces moved out of Yrisan Kurdish strongholds following a deal with Turkey. The escape of the terrorists, held in war time prisons in northern Syria, happened after Turkey launched an offensive against the Kurdish militia, who were earlier supported by the US. With the US no longer giving cover, the militia had no way to guard the detention centres were Isis fighters and their foreign spouses were held.
Meanwhile, UK's Guardian reported that Belgium and some other European states were planning to evacuate citizens held in these parts after being accused of having links with the Isis. The paper reported on October 18 that countries such France and Germany are also thinking of repatriating women and children held in the detention centres.
