Two children die every week at Syria's al-Hol camp, charity says
Fires are among the leading cause of death among children of suspected Islamic State fighters who are stranded in the al-Hol and Roj camps in northeast Syria.
An average of two children die every week in a sprawling displacement camp in northeast Syria housing families with suspected ties to the Islamic State, Save the Children said, warning that young people in Al-Hol camp are “simply wasting away.”
Of the 163 people to have died in Al-Hol camp so far this year, 62 of them were children, the international NGO said in a new report. From January to mid-August, 79 residents were murdered, including three children who were shot to death.
Fires, including those caused by stoves and heaters used to cook and keep warm, are the most common cause of death for Al-Hol’s child population, the charity said. From January to September 2021, 13 children died in fires. Other leading causes of preventable deaths include poor water and sanitation, malnutrition and a lack of health care services.
Located in Hasakah province, the Al-Hol and Roj camps in northeast Syria house more than 60,000 people, the vast majority of whom are women and children. The camps are run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which ousted IS from its last Syrian stronghold in Baghouz in March 2019.
