Kurdish officials have warned of an Islamic State resurgence if US foreign aid cuts take effect on Monday, which would cripple essential services for tens of thousands of people detained in tented camps in north-east Syria, including suspected members of IS and their families.
Kurdish officials fear Islamic State revival as US aid cuts loom Humanitarian groups worried north-east Syrian camps holding suspected IS members will lose basic facilities.
Blumont, a Virginia-based humanitarian aid group responsible for the management of two of Syria’s ISdetention camps, al-Hol and al-Roj, was given a stop-work order on 24 January by the US state department.
Though IS no longer holds any territory after the group’s last stand in March 2019, US and Kurdish officials say the group ideology prevails among former members and that camps and detention facilities are a hotbed of extremist ideology.
Camp officials are hoping for an 11th-hour exemption from Donald Trump’s 90-day global aid freeze, but have been given no assurances from the US administration.
