Clashes in Syrian Camp Housing IS Families Kill at least 3

A Kurdish official and an opposition war monitor said Tuesday that clashes between US-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters and members of the Islamic State killed at least three inpiduals within a restive camp in northeastern Syria that shelters IS families.

According to Shixmus Ehmed, head of the Kurdish-led administration's department for refugees and displaced people, the crack began late Monday night at the al-Hol camp in the Syrian province Hassakeh, when Kurdish fighters traded fire with an IS sleeper cell. He left voice messages for The Associated Press on Tuesday.

Automatic guns and rocket-propelled grenades are being used in the conflict, he said, adding that the situation is still tense. The sprawling al-Hol camp has for years held tens of thousands of women and children — mostly wives, widows and children of IS members.

Following an IS raid on a prison in the province capital of Hassakeh, where some 3,000 militants and minors are detained, Syrian Kurdish fighters have increased their inspections at al-Hol in recent weeks.

After that attack, US-backed fighters and IS militants fought for ten days, killing almost 500 people until the situation was brought under control. It was IS's worst strike since the group's so-called Islamic "caliphate" fell apart in 2019, raising fears of a resurgence.