Thread by @Charles_Lister

"Life Inside #Syria's al-Hol Camp"

- After interviewing 20 camp residents, @MEI_CTE scholar @vera_mironov delves deep into who lives in al-Hol? How do they relate to #ISIS? Who's escaping? How do they acquire money? & more.

REALLY important work:

mei.edu/publications/l…

@MEI_CTE @vera_mironov According to @vera_mironov's work, only a small minority of al-Hol residents genuinely support #ISIS - many others fake loyalty as a source of financial support (from #ISIS directly or foreign donors).

This drives many expressions of ultra radicalism or fake claims of attacks.

@MEI_CTE @vera_mironov One al-Hol resident claimed to @vera_mironov:

- "What #ISIS enforcement can we talk about, I feel like we're in #Europe here. Many females have sex with male camp workers... We constantly hear about 13-year-old boys having sex with girls or even try to rape other younger boys."

@MEI_CTE @vera_mironov According to @vera_mironov's interviews, many public reports of #ISIS-motivated "attacks" in al-Hol are in fact personal fights motivated by mundane camp issues. As summer approached, one resident announced:

- “Al Hol girls, ice arrived to the camp. Fighting season starts!”

@MEI_CTE @vera_mironov Escaping al-Hol costs $10,000-$15,000 per family & can be pursued in 3 ways:

1. Bribing #SDF forces to facilitate
2. Use local civilian smugglers, mostly water tank drivers
3. A 6-day escape by foot

Smugglers are well-known & identifiable by their large properties in the area.

@MEI_CTE @vera_mironov Paying for an escape from al-Hol is expensive -- but money can come from:

- Family abroad
- Home governments quietly paying to avoid #SDF bureaucracy
- #ISIS pays directly

#ISIS has also begun paying for boys to be smuggled out, so they can move to frontlines to fight.