Türkiye urges Syria’s new administration to take control of Daesh camps

On February 12, 2025, Türkiye called on the new Syrian administration to take control of the camps housing displaced people and detained Daesh terrorists.

During a UN Security Council meeting, Ahmet Yıldız emphasized that there is no place for Daesh or PKK/YPG in Syria’s future, Caliber.Az reports referencing Turkish media.

“Putting an end to the existence of these terrorist groups is a prerequisite for a peaceful, independent, and politically unified Syria,” he said. He also expressed Türkiye’s readiness to cooperate with Syria in the fight against terrorism.

Yıldız stressed the importance of ending the foreign exploitation of Syria’s natural resources, particularly its oil and gas. He said these resources should be returned to the Syrian people to help build a prosperous Syria.

He also called for the removal of foreign elements from terrorist groups and urged the PKK/YPG to lay down their arms. Yıldız stated, “Terrorist organizations in northeast Syria use Daesh camps and prisons for propaganda to justify their existence,” and emphasized that it was time to transfer the security of these camps to the new Syrian administration.

Türkiye reiterated its willingness to assist Syria in taking control of the camps and prisons, and called on the international community to support the repatriation of Daesh detainees.

The issue of Daesh detainees in PKK/YPG-run camps resurfaced after a coalition of anti-regime forces, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ousted Bashar Assad’s forces on December 8, 2024. Foreign powers are divided over who should manage these prisons. The US has previously expressed support for the YPG/PKK to continue securing the camps. Former US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized that the YPG/PKK plays a critical role in securing foreign terrorist fighters.

Türkiye, however, accuses the PKK/YPG of exploiting the crisis under Assad’s rule and using their control of the prisons to detain Daesh members.

Al-Hol, the largest internment camp in northeastern Syria, holds over 43,000 detainees from 47 countries, many of whom are family members of Daesh members.

The PKK/YPG has expressed opposition to handing over control of the Daesh camps to the new Syrian administration, citing concerns about potential Daesh attacks to free their members.

Daesh seized large areas of Syria and Iraq in 2014 but lost control of most of the territory after campaigns by US-backed forces in Syria and Iraq, as well as Syrian forces supported by Iran, Russia, and various paramilitaries.

A US-led coalition still conducts raids against Daesh cells in Syria, and the US has been providing military aid to the PKK/YPG under the pretext of fighting Daesh, despite Türkiye’s objections.

On February 12, the US announced it would cease its aid to the PKK/YPG-run camps in Syria.

By Tamilla Hasanova