Dozens of Daesh-linked detainees released from northeastern Syria 

The Kurdish Autonomous Administration, which is considered the political wing of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria, has released dozens of Syrian detainees accused of being members of Daesh, according to AFP.

The agency quoted the head of relations in the Autonomous Administration’s internal security forces as saying yesterday that “50 people accused of belonging to the terrorist Daesh organisation were released,” without specifying which prisons they were detained in.

This comes within the framework of a general amnesty issued by the Autonomous Administration last July “for crimes committed by Syrians stipulated in the Anti-Terrorism Law, and crimes against the security of the region of North and East Syria stipulated in the Penal Code.”

This is the second batch of detainees to be released out of a total of 1,000 to 1,500 people included in the general amnesty issued by the Autonomous Administration.

The SDF detains tens of thousands of people suspected of belonging to Daesh, including hundreds of foreigners from various nationalities, in 24 detention facilities and two camps, Al-Howl and Roj, in northeastern Syria.

“Other batches of detainees are expected to be released in the coming months,” an official from the organisation said, adding that “the amnesty includes only Syrians and not foreigners.” He added that only those “whose hands are not stained with blood” will be released.

The SDF participated, with the support of the US, in confronting Daesh in northeastern Syria until the organisation was defeated in its last strongholds in 2019.

Since then, the Autonomous Administration has arrested nearly 56,000 people suspected of belonging to Daesh, including 30,000 children who came to the area with their parents and found themselves in jail.

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