AIN ISSA, Syria: Syria’s Kurds on Monday called for an international court to be set up in the country to try suspected Daesh militants following the announced fall of their “caliphate.”
Daesh imposed its brutal interpretation of Islam on millions living in the proto-state that it declared across a large swathe of Syria and neighboring Iraq in 2014.
The extremists stand accused of carrying out numerous crimes including mass executions, kidnappings and rape.
“We call on the international community to establish a special international tribunal in northeast Syria to prosecute terrorists,” the Syria Kurdish administration said.
In this way, “trials can be conducted fairly and in accordance with international law and human rights covenants and charters,” it said in a statement.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on Saturday announced the end of the “caliphate” after defeating Daesh militants in the eastern village of Baghouz near the Iraqi border.
Kurdish-led forces, backed by a US-led coalition, have detained thousands of suspected Daesh fighters in more than four years battling the militants, including around 1,000 foreigners.
While alleged Daesh fighters are held in jail, women and children suspected of being affiliated to the group are housed in Kurdish-run camps for the displaced.
More than 9,000 foreigners, including over 6,500 children, were held in the main camp of Al-Hol, a Kurdish spokesman said, giving the latest figures from a week ago.
The Kurdish administration has repeatedly called for the repatriation of foreign Daesh suspects, and warned it does not have capacity to detain so many people.
But the home countries of suspected Daesh members have been reluctant to take them back, due to potential security risks and a likely public backlash.
“The Kurdish administration in northeast Syria has appealed to the international community to shoulder its responsibilities” with regards to Daesh suspects, it said Monday.
“But unfortunately there was no response.”
It urged the international community, particularly countries that have nationals detained, to support the establishment of an international tribunal.
A top foreign official for the Kurdish administration said foreign experts could work side by side with local judges.
“They could be foreign judges working with local judges and be experts in crimes committed by terrorist groups,” Abdel Karim Omar told AFP.
Previous international courts include the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda which tried genocide perpetrators in the African country.
The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia meanwhile tried those accused of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in conflicts that tore apart the Balkans in the 1990s.
Joel Hubrecht, a Paris-based expert in transitional justice expert, said setting up an special tribunal to judge Daesh was a good idea in theory in view of the international dimension of its alleged crimes.
“The idea of an international criminal court is relevant and interesting,” he told AFP.
“But in northeast Syria it’s not realistic.”
The Syrian Kurdish authorities are not internationally recognized, setting up such a tribunal usually takes time, and ensuring witness protection is tough in a war-torn country, he said.
Despite the declared victory against Daesh in Baghouz, the militants still maintain a presence in the country’s vast desert and have continued to claim deadly attacks in SDF-held territory.
President Bashar Assad’s forces have made a territorial comeback against rebels and militants with key Russian backing since 2015, but the war is far from over.
The battle to end the “caliphate” has triggered an exodus of tens of thousands of people — mainly women and children — out of crumbling Daesh territory, sparked a humanitarian crisis.
The main camp in Al-Hol is now bursting at the seams, housing more than 70,000 people — in a place designed for just 20,000.
“Humanitarian conditions in Hol camp are extremely critical,” World Food Programme spokeswoman Marwa Awad said Monday.
At least 140 people — overwhelmingly young children — have died on the way to the camp or shortly after arriving, the International Rescue Committee aid group says.
The Kurdish administration on Monday called on the United Nations to improve living conditions at the Al-Hol camp.
It particularly called for more humanitarian assistance, expanding the camp, and better water and sewage networks.
Syria’s war has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since starting in 2011 with the brutal repression of anti-government protests.
Apart from fighting Daesh, the Kurds have largely stayed out of the civil war, instead setting up their own semi-autonomous institutions in the northeast of the country.
Syria’s Kurds call for international court to try Daesh militants
Syria’s Kurds call for international court to try Daesh militants
- SDF said this is a way to organize fair and just tribunals
- The group said they do not have the capability to hold the detainees
Editorial: The threat of Yemen’s fragmentation is far reaching
- The southern issue is a just cause — one that must be addressed in any future political settlement and not reduced to the ambitions of any single individual, including the likes of Aidarous Al-Zubaidi
RIYADH: As Yemen’s political landscape continues to shift at a dizzying pace, it is worth pausing to reflect on the official Saudi position — and the commentary of some of our leading Saudi columnists — regarding the recent unilateral moves by the Southern Transitional Council (STC) in the governorates of Hadramout and Al-Mahrah. These actions, taken without the consent of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) or coordination with the Arab Coalition, represent a dangerous gamble with the future of a fragile nation — one that Saudi Arabia, like its Arab neighbors, wishes only peace, stability, and prosperity.
There is no ambiguity in the Kingdom’s stance: it has worked tirelessly to preserve calm in Hadramout and Al-Mahrah, steering both regions away from military escalation and toward peaceful solutions. In a bid to contain the situation, Saudi Arabia, in coordination with its brothers and partners in the United Arab Emirates and the PLC, dispatched a joint team to negotiate with the STC. The goal was clear — facilitate the withdrawal of STC forces and hand over military sites to the National Shield Forces.
Yet despite Riyadh’s call for de-escalation and its appeal to the STC to prioritize national interest and social cohesion, the Council has persisted in its confrontational posture, seemingly indifferent to the grave consequences of its actions.
Observers in Riyadh will note that the Kingdom remains steadfast in its support for the PLC and Yemen’s internationally recognized government. Its commitment to Yemen’s stability is not rhetorical — it is political, economic, and developmental. Saudi Arabia’s vision is to shepherd Yemen from the shadows of conflict into an era of peace, prosperity, and regional integration. This is not merely a function of geography or shared borders; it is a reflection of the Kingdom’s religious, political, and economic responsibilities in the Arab and Islamic world.
From this vantage point, the newspaper firmly believes that the STC’s unilateral actions in Hadramout constitute a blatant violation of Yemen’s transitional framework. They undermine the legitimacy of the recognized government, threaten the fragile peace, and jeopardize the political process. Worse still, they echo the very tactics employed by the Houthi militias — an alarming parallel that should not be ignored.
It is therefore essential to reiterate the Kingdom’s position: the STC must withdraw its forces from Hadramout and Al-Mahrah, restoring the status quo ante. This is not a punitive demand, but a necessary step to safeguard national security and prevent further military flare-ups.
At the same time, Saudi Arabia has consistently affirmed that the southern issue is a just cause — one that must be addressed in any future political settlement. It is enshrined in the outcomes of Yemen’s National Dialogue and must be resolved inclusively, reflecting the aspirations of all southern Yemenis — not reduced to the ambitions of any single individual, including the likes of Aidarous Al-Zubaidi or other STC figures.
Ultimately, we urge the separatists to choose reason over recklessness. Partitioning Yemen will not bring peace — it will sow the seeds of future wars, embolden extremist actors, and pose a threat not only to Yemen’s internal cohesion but to regional and international stability. As Western and American policymakers know all too well: what happens in Yemen never stays in Yemen.
