Deaths and Prison Riots in Syrian YPG-held Detention Camps Among ISIS Mothers whose Children are Dying in Front of their Eyes

Abstract

Four children, one the newborn of ISIS wife Shamima Begum, have recently died in one YPG held detention camp, raising questions about why underage Western children are being held in Syria rather than returned to their home countries. Anne Speckhard and Ardian Shajkovci CAMP ROJ, SYRIA: "The children that have died…they were so small…They don't even know how to run away from the tents [on fire]. The mom was outside, and they were inside," a mother of a four-year-old in Camp Roj stated recently to ICSVE researchers. Four children under the age of six have recently died in the YPG-run Camp Roj in Northern Syria-in which foreign fighter wives and children are being housed-while their countries debate whether to take them home. They are not the first to die in this camp and will likely not be the last. The most recent death in the camp was of the newborn son of Shamima Begum, a UK national, who radicalized at age 15 over the

Full text

Deaths'and'Prison'Riots'in'Syrian'YPG-held'
Detention'Camps'Among'ISIS'Mothers'whose'
Children'are'Dying'in'Front'of'their'Eyes'
Four children, one the newborn of ISIS wife Shamima Begum, have recently died in one
YPG held detention camp, raising questions about why underage Western children are
being held in Syria rather than returned to their home countries.
Anne$Speckhard$and$Ardian$Shajkovci$
$
CAMP$ROJ,$SYRIA:$“The$children$that$have$died…they$were$so$small…They$don’t$even$
know$how$to$run$away$from$the$tents$[on$fire].$$The$mom$was$outside,$and$they$were$
inside,”$a$mother$of$a$four-year-old$in$Camp$Roj$stated$recently$to$ICSVE$researchers.$
$
Four$children$under$the$age$of$six$have$recently$died$in$the$YPG-run$Camp$Roj$in$
Northern$Syria—in$which$foreign$fighter$wives$and$children$are$being$housed—while$
their$countries$debate$whether$to$take$them$home.$They$are$not$the$first$to$die$in$this$
camp$and$will$likely$not$be$the$last.$The$most$recent$death$in$the$camp$was$of$the$
newborn$son$of$Shamima$Begum,$a$UK$national,$who$radicalized$at$age$15$over$the$

Internet$and$left$her$country$as$a$minor$to$join$ISIS.i$$Shamima$is$accused$of$still$being$
highly$radicalized.$$Her$newborn$did$not$have$a$chance$to$show$his$predilections—
whether$he$was$likely$to$have$grown$up$to$follow$in$the$footsteps$of$his$mother$in$
making$wrong$decisions$or$perhaps$become$a$Nobel$Peace$Prize$winner—having$died$
within$days$of$his$birth.$
$
The$debate$over$what$to$do$with$the$Western$children$of$ISIS$parents$remains$
controversial.$The$debate$cost$Samantha$Elhassani’s$children$over$one$year$in$the$Syrian$
camps,$despite$the$fact$that$her$two$oldest$children$were$U.S.$passport$holders$at$the$
time$their$mother$dragged$them$into$Syria$to$live$in$Raqqa$ruled$ISIS.$Failure$to$answer$
and$quickly$act$on$the$matter$will$continue$to$negatively$affect$the$lives$of$the$children$
involved—in$some$cases,$unfortunately,$cost$their$very$lives.$In$response$to$such$
growing$concerns,$President$Trump$has$recently$urged$European$countries$to$take$back$
ISIS$captives.ii$
$
American$born$Matthew,$the$oldest$son$of$Samantha$El$Hassani,$iiiwhose$biological$
father$was$a$retired$American$serviceman,$lived$under$ISIS$control$as$a$very$young$boy.$
At$the$time,$U.S.$authorities$were$aware$that$his$mother$escaped$from$Raqqa,$Syria,$and$
that$he$had$during$his$time$there$been$forced$by$his$mother’s$new$husband,$Mousa$El$
Hassani,$to$“star”$in$an$ISIS$video$threatening$his$homeland.iv$This$young$boy,$reciting$
rote$lines$threatening$his$homeland$into$the$video$camera,$can$be$viewed$as$a$monster-
in-the-making$or$a$tragic$abuse$of$an$American$child.$$In$either$case,$he$was$born$in$
America$and$was$an$American$passport$holding$child&and&a&minor,$and$should$have$
received$timely$physical$protection,$psychological$help$and$protection$from$the$U.S.$
government,$meaning$the$moment$we$learned$about$his$whereabouts$he$should$have$
been$protected.$Instead$he,$and$his$three$siblings,$fell$prey$to$political$and$legal$
wrangling,$which$left$them$in$a$vulnerable$position$for$over$a$year.v$$
$
Matthew$told$CNN$reporters$in$a$particularly$heart-rendering$video$that$his$mother$had$
suffered$a$particularly$harsh$beating$the$day$of$his$video$production$for$trying$to$
prevent$her$husband$from$using$Matthew$in$the$ISIS$propaganda$videos.vi$She$lost$that$
battle$and$Mathew$was$eventually$filmed.$Samantha$El$Hassani$and$her$children$have$
been$repatriated$to$the$States.$While$now$safe,$the$delay$of$over$a$year$in$the$process$
of$repatriation$may$haunt$the$children’s$lives$forever.$$Likewise,$hundreds$of$other$
Western$children$of$ISIS$parents,$many$under$the$age$of$ten,$still$await$their$undecided$
futures.$For$$instance,$a$nine-year-old$born$in$Belgium$girl,$whose$parent$we$recently$
interviewed$in$Camp$Roj,$Syria,$told$us$she$would$like$to$return$home$to$attend$school$
again.$$Is$she$a$terrorist$threat?vii$
$
These$very$young$children$and$minors$should$not$be$considered$a$national$security$
threat.$On$the$contrary,$they$need$our$protection.$They$are$our$citizens$and$are$entitled$
to$their$human$and$legal$rights,$including$our$protection.$Justice$in$their$cases$should$be$
delivered$swiftly,$despite$our$need$to$also$debate$national$security$concerns.$$From$a$
psychological$standpoint,$any$delays$in$a$child’s$life$are$much$longer$in$their$perspective$

and$in$terms$of$their$development$than$they$are$for$the$adults$involved.$Children$heal$
quickly$and$do$best$when$restored$to$safety,$predictability,$and$nurture—things$Camp$
Roj,$or$any$detention$centers$and$controlled$camps,$can$hardly$provide$to$children.$$In$
raising$concerns$over$food$shortage,$undernutrition,$and$hygiene$in$general$in$the$YPG-
run$camps$in$Northern$Syria—the$factors$that$affect$a$child’s$livelihood—several$Syrian$
officials$irritably$pointed$out$to$ICSVE$researchers$damage$caused$by$ISIS$to$many$
innocent$Syrian$civilians$who$continue$to$languish,$as$they$described$it,$in$much$worse$
conditions$compared$to$ISIS$wives$and$children$currently$housed$in$detention$and$camp$
facilities.$While$such$arguments$hold$true,$the$children$in$question$are$Westerners$and$
need$to$be$brought$home$and$cared$for$by$the$countries$tasked$for$their$protection$and$
wellbeing.$$It$should$not$be$left$to$Syrian$Kurds$to$provide$for$them.$
$
Camp$Roj$in$Syria,$alongside$others$that$the$YPG$struggle$to$maintain$and$run$in$a$
humane$fashion,$is$plagued$with$concerning$issues,$such$as$lack$of$vaccinations$for$the$
children,$spread$of$infectious$diseases$and$lack$of$nutritious$food.$$Mothers$in$the$camp$
fear$typhoid$outbreaks,$which$has$claimed$the$lives$of$both$mothers$and$their$children$
in$the$camp$over$the$past$year.$$Likewise,$they$fear$the$minority$of$other$females,$
mostly$non-Westerners,$who$are$still$radicalized$and$try$to$enforce$ISIS-defined$shariah$
behavior$on$all$the$women,$such$as$wearing$headscarves$and$not$speaking$out$to$
condemn$ISIS.$$“I’m$afraid$they$will$come$with$a$knife—that$has$happened$here,$attack$
or$steal$all$our$belongings,$or$set$fire$to$our$tents,”$one$European$mother$told$us.$
$
The$Kurdish$forces$are$currently$edging$towards$one$of$the$last$known$ISIS$hideouts$in$
Syria,$with$ISIS$fighters$hiding$out$in$tunnels$and$emerging$still$ready$to$fight$to$the$
death$in$Baghuz.$viiiHundreds$of$YPG$fighters,$men$and$women,$have$died$fighting$ISIS$in$
this$and$many$other$battles.$YPG$fighters$and$Syrian$Kurds$have$paid$a$high$price$
fighting$ISIS.$They$now$need$our$help$and$assistance$dealing$with$all$the$prisoners$and$
detainees$they$have$under$their$custody.$With$the$influx$of$surrendered$and$captured$
ISIS$cadres$and$families$since$last$year,$the$Kurdish$authorities$in$Syria$have$been$asking$
for$all$Western$countries$to$take$back$their$citizens,$male$and$female,$young$and$old,$
who$came$to$join$and,$in$some$cases,$fight$for$the$ISIS$Caliphate,$or$were$born$in$Syria$to$
their$ISIS$parents.$While$taking$back$the$parents$raises$many$thorny$legal$and$other$
issues,$taking$the$young$children$should$raise$few.$The$latter$could$mostly$entail$
negotiating$with$their$parents$for$the$safe$return$of$their$children$while$the$parents’$
return$may$be$delayed.$Alternatively,$parents$and$children$would$not$be$separated$and$
would$return$together.$
$
The$YPG$view$on$the$matter$is$that$it$is$not$their$responsibility$to$try$these$individuals,$
and$even$if$it$were,$the$YPG$lacks$the$country$legal$status$to$do$so$and$would$have$to$
hand$them$over$to$Syrian$or$Iraqi$courts.$Assad’s$prisons$are$rife$with$human$rights$
accusations$of$rape$and$torture.$He$is$also$known$to$have$released$al$Qaeda$fighters$and$
other$Islamist$extremists$into$the$battles$when$it$was$opportune$for$him$to$do$so.ix$He$
can$hardly$be$a$trusted$partner$on$this.$$$
$

In$Iraq,$ISIS$prisoners$nearly$always$receive$a$death$sentence,$with$questionable$court$
proceedings$and$evidence$presented$in$place.$Western$women,$such$as$a$French$woman$
we$recently$interviewed$in$Iraq,$complained$how$she$had$no$attorney$representing$her$
and$did$not$even$understand$the$rushed$sentencing$procedure$that$occurred,$resulting$
in$her$life$sentence$to$Iraqi$prison.$She$just$recently$handed$her$young$children$over$to$
her$brother$in$France,$admitting$Iraqi$prisons$were$no$place$for$children—yet$many$are$
still$there$with$their$mothers$as$well.$On$the$side$of$some$Western$countries,$
particularly$those$with$prison$radicalization$issues$already$overwhelming$the$system,$
the$view$is$one$of$being$loathe$to$take$back$ISIS$fighters$and$wives.$Some$such$countries$
fear$they$cannot$collect$sufficient$and$credible$evidence$from$the$battlefield$in$Iraq$and$
Syria$to$prosecute$and$that$ISIS$fighters$and$wives$pose$national$security$threats$at$
home,$whether$they$land$in$or$outside$of$prisons.$$
$
The$children$of$ISIS$fighters$and$ISIS$wives$hang$in$the$balance.$In$the$recent$days,$
Shamima$Begumx$was$stripped$of$her$UK$citizenship$while$heavily$pregnant,$begging$the$
legal$question$of$what$does$that$mean$for$the$child$born$to$her,$purportedly$from$a$
Dutch$father?$While$stripping$her$citizenship$was$contentious,$given$she$was$denied$any$
chance$of$a$Bengali$passport,$what$about$her$infant$child?$$Is$her$newborn,$clearly$not$
guilty$of$anything,$also$stripped$of$EU$and$British$citizenship$rights$and$not$considered$
worthy$of$protecting?$$UK$officials$claimed$it$was$impossible$and$too$dangerous$to$
retrieve$Shamima’s$newborn,$who$is$no$longer$able$to$be$saved.$He$died$struggling$for$
his$life$in$Camp$Roj,$in$the$last$week$from$malnutrition$and$breathing$difficulties.$Yet,$
despite$British$claims$that$he$couldn’t$be$rescued$from$the$camp,$Western$journalists$
and$researchers,$including$us,$have$traveled$there$regularly,$unscathed.$He$could$have$
been$brought$home.$
$
ICSVE$researchers$have$talked$to$other$ISIS$mothers$from$Europe.$One$stated$that$her$
preschool$age$child$stopped$breathing$and$turned$blue$while$she$struggled$without$
adequate$medications$and$medical$care$to$keep$him$alive.$We$delivered$asthma$
medicine$to$this$child$and$alerted$Belgians$about$his$health$issues,$though$we$have$not$
heard$whether$he$has$been$returned$home$yet.$Regardless$of$how$one$feels$about$their$
parents,$the$human$rights$and$health$issues$for$these$children$are$many,$and$dire$
indeed.$They$demand$swift$and$well$thought$out$answers$to$serve$the$wellbeing$of$the$
Western$children$in$question.$
$
On$the$side$of$the$ISIS$mothers$the$legal$issues$are$many$and$complicated.$To$simplify,$
in$Austria,$for$example,$an$ISIS$wife$and$mother$cannot$be$prosecuted$simply$for$having$
cooked$and$cleaned$and$otherwise$served$her$ISIS$husband$in$Syria$or$Iraq.$$Other$
Western$countries$prosecute$such$women$under$“providing$material$support”$counter-
terrorism$and$criminal$statutes$for$having$joined$a$terrorist$group,$although$many$of$
these$women$never$formally$joined$and$had$no$substantive$roles$in$the$group.$However,$
ISIS$wives$are,$quite$rightly,$feared$and$perhaps$also$reviled$because$there$are$ISIS$
women$who$were$fearsome.$For$instance,$in$our$interviews$with$ISIS$defectors$in$Iraq$
and$Syria,$we$have$learned$that$members$of$the$ISIS$hisbah,&(the$ISIS$$“morality”$police)$

were$known$for$brutally$flogging$and$biting$other$females,$causing$deaths$in$some$
instances$by$the$wounds$they$inflicted,$and$for$putting$heads$of$beheaded$family$
members$into$the$cells$of$their$arrested$loved$ones.$They$also$participated$in$Internet$
recruiting$and$bomb-building$and$some$have$exploded$themselves$as$suicide$bombers.$
Hence,$one$cannot$assume$women$participating$in$ISIS$are$neither$lethal$or$
dangerous—although$many$are$not.$Likewise,$there$are$cases$of$women$who$returned$
to$the$Balkans$and$Western$Europe$and$proclaimed$innocence$but$were$in$fact$highly$
radicalized.$Namely,$they$were$committed$to$the$group,$continued$to$interact$with$ISIS$
members$and$materials$over$the$Internet,$and$had,$in$at$least$one$case$we$learned$of,$$
been$$responsible$for$the$death$of$a$Yazidi$child.$$
$
All$adult$and$older$ISIS$males$and$females$should$be$carefully$investigated$and$brought$
to$justice.$This$and$the$questions$of$how$long$their$children$should$hang$in$the$balance$
and$risk$psychological$and$health$issues$as$a$result$remain$very$pressing$and$important$
questions.$$
$
Emotions$are$running$high$in$Camp$Roj$this$week,$where,$according$to$our$sources$
inside$the$camp,$a$small$“mother’s$riot”$broke$out$two$nights$ago.$Though$the$alleged$
event,$aside$from$this$sole$source,$has$not$been$officially$verified$yet,$we$were$told$that$
angry$mothers$began$throwing$stones$when$YPG$forces$arrived$in$the$camp$to$deal$with$
the$fires$and$deaths$of$the$three$children$trapped$inside$the$inferno.$Twenty$of$these$
mothers,$along$with$their$children,$were$arrested$and$hauled$off$to$another$site,$while$
the$rest$stood$shocked$and$now$are$in$fear$for$the$future.$Reports$of$mothers$attacking$
journalists$in$the$YPG$run$camps$are$also$circulating$on$the$Internet.$$$
$
Innocent$children$are$dying$in$such$camps.$Many$are$struggling$to$breathe$and$survive$
diseases$and$lack$of$good$food.$In$a$recent$online$discussion,$a$counter-terrorism$expert$
claimed$that$the$fact$women$attacked$journalists$proves$they$are$dangerous$and$radical.$
This$is$a$serious$and$legitimate$concern,$though$one$might$also$ask$if$that$is$not$normal$
mammalian$mothering$behavior—to$helplessly$attack$when$one$believes$her$child$is$in$
danger?$$The$mothers$who$threw$stones$in$Camp$Roj$were$likely$expressing$their$total$
shock$and$anger$over$the$needless$deaths$of$their$children—incarcerated$for$what$
crimes?$Western$countries$have$a$duty$to$protect$their$young$in$all$cases,$always,$and$in$
all$places—no$matter$what$their$parents$have$done$or$failed$to$do.$
$
Reference'for'this'article:$Speckhard,$Anne$&$Shajkovci,$Ardian$(March$18,$2019)$Deaths$
and$Prison$Riots$in$Syrian$YPG-held$Detention$Camps$Among$ISIS$Mothers$whose$
Children$are$Dying$in$Front$of$their$Eyes.$Homeland&Security&Today$
https://www.hstoday.us/subject-matter-areas/terrorism-study/perspective-children-of-
isis-mothers-are-dying-in-front-of-their-eyes-in-detention-camps/$
'About'the'authors:$

Anne'Speckhard,'Ph.D.,$is$Director$of$the$International$Center$for$the$Study$of$Violent$
Extremism$(ICSVE)$and$serves$as$an$Adjunct$Associate$Professor$of$Psychiatry$at$
Georgetown$University$School$of$Medicine.$She$has$interviewed$over$600$terrorists,$
their$family$members$and$supporters$in$various$parts$of$the$world$including$in$Western$
Europe,$the$Balkans,$Central$Asia,$the$Former$Soviet$Union$and$the$Middle$East.$In$the$
past$two$years,$she$and$ICSVE$staff$have$been$collecting$interviews$(n=101)$with$ISIS$
defectors,$returnees$and$prisoners,$studying$their$trajectories$into$and$out$of$terrorism,$
their$experiences$inside$ISIS,$as$well$as$developing$the$$materials$from$these$interviews.$
She$has$also$been$training$key$stakeholders$in$law$enforcement,$intelligence,$educators,$
and$other$countering$violent$extremism$professionals$on$the$use$of$counter-narrative$
messaging$materials$produced$by$ICSVE$both$locally$and$internationally$as$well$as$
studying$the$use$of$children$as$violent$actors$by$groups$such$as$ISIS$and$consulting$on$
how$to$rehabilitate$them.$In$2007,$she$was$responsible$for$designing$the$psychological$
and$Islamic$challenge$aspects$of$the$Detainee$Rehabilitation$Program$in$Iraq$to$be$
applied$to$20,000$+$detainees$and$800$juveniles.$She$is$a$sought$after$counterterrorism$
expert$and$has$consulted$to$NATO,$OSCE,$foreign$governments$and$to$the$U.S.$Senate$&$
House,$Departments$of$State,$Defense,$Justice,$Homeland$Security,$Health$&$Human$
Services,$CIA$and$FBI$and$CNN,$BBC,$NPR,$Fox$News,$MSNBC,$CTV,$and$in$Time,$The$New$
York$Times,$The$Washington$Post,$London$Times$and$many$other$publications.$She$
regularly$speaks$and$publishes$on$the$topics$of$the$psychology$of$radicalization$and$
terrorism$and$is$the$author$of$several$books,$including$Talking&to&Terrorists,&Bride&of&ISIS,&
Undercover&Jihadi$and$ISIS&Defectors:&Inside&Stories&of&the&Terrorist&Caliphate.$Her$
publications$are$found$here:$https://georgetown.academia.edu/AnneSpeckhard$and$on$
the$ICSVE$website$http://www.icsve.org$Follow$@AnneSpeckhard$
Ardian'Shajkovci,'Ph.D.,$is$the$Director$of$Research$and$a$Senior$Research$Fellow$at$the$
International$Center$for$the$Study$of$Violent$Extremism$(ICSVE).$He$has$been$collecting$
interviews$with$ISIS$defectors$and$studying$their$trajectories$into$and$out$of$terrorism$as$
well$as$training$key$stakeholders$in$law$enforcement,$intelligence,$educators,$and$other$
countering$violent$extremism$professionals$on$the$use$of$counter-narrative$messaging$
materials$produced$by$ICSVE$both$locally$and$internationally.$He$has$also$been$studying$
the$use$of$children$as$violent$actors$by$groups$such$as$ISIS$and$how$to$rehabilitate$them.$
He$has$conducted$fieldwork$in$Western$Europe,$the$Balkans,$Central$Asia,$Africa,$and$
the$Middle$East,$mostly$recently$in$Jordan$and$Iraq.$He$has$presented$at$professional$
conferences$and$published$on$the$topic$of$radicalization$and$terrorism.$He$holds$a$
doctorate$in$Public$Policy$and$Administration,$with$a$focus$on$Homeland$Security$Policy,$
from$Walden$University.$He$obtained$his$M.A.$degree$in$Public$Policy$and$
Administration$from$Northwestern$University$and$a$B.A.$degree$in$International$
Relations$and$Diplomacy$from$Dominican$University.$He$is$also$an$adjunct$professor$
teaching$counterterrorism$and$CVE$courses$at$Nichols$College.$$
$

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