In early September, a Daily Express delegation led by Richard Ashmore and Tim Ferry travelled to northeast Syria to inspect detention camps and prisons at the heart of the growing security crisis. Their reporting has uncovered shocking conditions inside facilities holding thousands of ISIS fighters, their families, and suspected affiliates.
Their reporting paints a stark picture: security in these facilities is stretched to breaking point, resources are scarce, and extremist ideology still lingers among detainees. If international support is withdrawn, the risk of a catastrophic collapse — and a resurgence of ISIS — grows by the day.
During their visit, the team met Britain’s most infamous ISIS recruit, Shamima Begum, who is held in al-Roj camp. This facility alone detains around 2,000 foreign-born women and children captured after ISIS’s defeat in 2019, including several UK nationals. The journalists describe how Begum abruptly ended their interview when pressed on her actions and future. Her presence highlights the profound dilemmas facing the UK and its allies: questions of justice, repatriation, deradicalisation, and security cannot be deferred indefinitely.
The delegation’s findings reinforce the reality that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — the Kurdish-led allies who defeated ISIS — are now left managing these immense challenges with dwindling resources. At the same time, they face threats of incursion from Ankara and mounting pressure from a new HTS-backed administration, which has escalated attacks in Suwaida (targeting Druze communities) and Latakia (attacking Alawites).
The UK cannot turn its back on its Kurdish allies. You can take action now by signing our petition calling on MPs to support the SDF, strengthen camp security, and prevent the resurgence of ISIS. Every signature counts in urging the government to act before it is too late.