29 children died of hypothermia in northern Syria IDP camp: WHO
The camp houses thousands of displaced persons (IDPs) fleeing ongoing battles in Deir ez-Zor between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and ISIS.
The SDF has stepped up its campaign against ISIS since US President Donald Trump announced in December he wanted to pull American soldiers out and after suicide bombing killed local fighters, civilians, and US personnel in Manbij earlier this month.
Since then, some 23,000 people, mainly women and children, have arrived at al-Hawl camp, tripling the size of the camp in just two months and straining already small resources.
“Many of them have walked or travelled in open trucks for several days and nights in the bitterly cold winter weather,” the WHO stated, noting that lengthy security checks along the way slowed their journey. ISIS militants have tried to escape the battlefield by hiding themselves among the civilian populations, putting the SDF on high alert to catch infiltrators.
They are also often malnourished after years of living under ISIS rule.
In the camp, the new arrivals often have to spend a few nights in the open air, without heating, the WHO stated. “At least 29 children and newborns are reported to have died over the past 8 weeks, mainly from hypothermia, while travelling to the camp or shortly after arrival.”
The WHO is urging all parties to facilitate access to the camp so that they can scale up their services and deliver badly needed supplies.
ISIS has been contained in a small pocket of territory just 4-5 square kilometres near Baghouz, on the shores of the Euphrates River close to the border with Iraq. SDF commanders warn however that the last fight will be slow given the presence of many civilians, children and wives of ISIS fighters living in the area.
