Thousands of Kurdish-led forces, with assistance from the U.S.-led coalition, launched a military operation Sunday at a sprawling camp in northeast Syria, in a new effort to identify and arrest Islamic State militants and tamp down escalating killings and violence in the camp.

The security sweep at the al-Hol camp will continue over time and is being conducted with “indirect” intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance support provided by the coalition, U.S. officials said Sunday.

The Kurdish-led forces said they have nearly 5,000 fighters participating in the operation and on Sunday they arrested 23 people, including an Iraqi IS member who worked in recruitment.

Col. Wayne Marotta, spokesman for the U.S.-backed coalition, said the new military operation is designed to disrupt IS activities in the camp and ensure the security of the residents

The al-Hol camp houses some 62,000 people, including wives and children of IS members, and U.S. officials say it has become a breeding ground for the next generation of potential Islamic State militants.

The majority of the population are Iraqis and Syrians, but there are also some 10,000 people from 57 other countries.

There have been 47 killings in the camp since the start of 2021, according to the Kurdish-led forces, with U.S officials saying the figure is closer to 60 killings.

AP