#1 KURDISH MEASURES In view of the deteriorating security and humanitarian conditions in the camps and detention facilities, Kurdish authorities have taken some measures in the past months. Isolated units were created to deal with COVID19 cases, for instance, whereas other measures were taken to improve general security in all facilities, notably plans to renovate existing infrastructure and building new facilities, with the financial support of the USA. The US government announced earlier this year that it had doubled the budget foreseen for detention facilities in Northern Syria ($20 million), in addition to the continued funding allocated for Kurdish guards. Additional funds ($2 million) were allocated in the aftermath of riots in Hasakah to reinforce security in detention facilities (e.g. install cameras, secure doors…).51 The transfer of a number of foreign women and children, from the “annex” in al-Hol to the camp of al-Roj, is another decision aiming to improve security. A number of European citizens have been allegedly transferred since August. The camp of al-Roj is less populated and has better infrastructures, thus allowing a better control of detainees. Furthermore, this transfer operation was part of a broader effort of the Kurdish administration to improve its records on foreign ISIS members, through a screening process and the recording of biometric data in a database that can be used by foreign intelligence services.52 Until now, the administrative records on ISIS members under Kurdish custody were largely incomplete (not accounting for dual nationality, e.g.), hence limiting the capacity to properly identify ISIS members, either in a perspective of repatriation or of intelligence-gathering. Another major development was the gradual release of Syrian ISIS members, started in spring 2020 as part of an amnesty programme in cooperation with tribal leaders in Northern Syria.53 While most Syrian women and children are expected to be released from al-Hol, a number of male Syrian ISIS fighters that had been convicted by Kurdish courts saw their sentences halved. As a result of this initiative, Kurdish authorities intend to significantly lighten their humanitarian and security burden, while reinforcing their ties with the tribes that live in Northern Syria under Kurdish administration. EUROPEAN ISIS DETAINEES The number of European foreign fighters and families that remain under Kurdish custody in October 2020 is unclear. It is generally estimated that 13,500 “foreign” women and children (i.e. non-Syrians or Iraqis) are held by Kurdish forces in various camps, mainly in al-Hol, in addition to about 1,000 to 2,000 male foreign fighters detained in makeshift prisons, mainly in Hasakah. As mentioned above, the Kurdish authorities themselves were long unable to provide comprehensive figures based on nationalities, due to their limited administrative capacities (not recording dual citizenships, mistakes in recording, inability to verify the information given by individuals…), as well as the likelihood that a number of ISIS members lied about their nationality, for a whole series of possible reasons (e.g. unwillingness to be repatriated, no longer identifying with their homeland…). European governments are not always able to provide clear figures either, given their limited capacity to collect information themselves directly in the camps and prisons. They often have little more than estimates, based on the information provided by the Kurds and US intelligence services, as well as information collected from families and open sources or shared by international organisations active in the camps. Furthermore, most European governments have systematically avoided EGMONT Royal Institute for International Relations 4