The Problem with al-Hol: The Future for ISIS-Affiliated Families

Between 2013 and 2019, an estimated 53,000 men, women, and children from eighty different countries traveled to the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate in Syria and Iraq to join the terrorist group and support its activities. Today, more than 60,000 of them are held in detention camps awaiting an unclear future amid a rapidly declining present. In this video explainer, Dr. Devorah Margolin, The Washington Institute's Blumenstein-Rosenbloom Fellow, details the tenuous situation at al-Hol camp and other detention facilities in northeast Syria, outlining the steps needed to bring them home, hold them accountable, and prevent the Islamic State or the Assad regime from exploiting their situation.

To read a transcript of the video, download the PDF above.