“I think the question is do you deal with it now or do you wait until the situation is far worse. I think any national security professional would tell you that the situation on the ground is propitious for radicalization. It’s a situation where people are ripe for further recruiting by terrorist organizations. This is especially true for their children …” 98. Another US official warned that ‘if countries aren’t willing to take back their citizens, especially the children, and give them a shot at a normal life and normal education, then the alternative is that they end up staying in Syria and becoming the next generation of ISIS.’ “The longer they stay without proper assessment of their mental and physical health or their attitudes towards their families, communities, and countries, the more unpredictable they will become. And the more difficult it will be to determine what they’re going to do.” 99. Similarly, Richard Barrett, the former MI6 Director of Global Counter-Terrorism told RSI that: ‘The longer they stay without proper assessment of their mental and physical health or their attitudes towards their families, communities, and countries, the more unpredictable they will become. And the more difficult it will be to determine what they’re going to do.’ 100. The risk is recognised by the SDF itself. As SDF General Mazloum Kobani Abdi has stated, the SDF lack resources to administer the camps and as a result ‘Daesh are regrouping and reorganising in the camp. We can’t control them 100 percent, and the situation is grave.’89 101. The risks associated with radicalisation to violence within the camps are exacerbated by the uncertain security situation which pertains in North East Syria. Security officials worldwide retain significant concerns that an offensive by either Turkish or Assad-loyal Syrian forces against the AANES raises the possibility of reinvigorated conflict and the abandonment of camp positions by the SDF. Already, there have been numerous reports of escapes from the camps, and dozens of women left the al Hol camp in October 2019 with the assistance of smugglers. Their motivations and destinations are unknown. 102. With a traumatized population, some retaining links with ISIL and many at risk of radicalisation to violence, the future of the region causes significant concern to security officials. As Nathan Sales, the US State Department’s Coordinator for Counterterrorism commented, ‘Today the situation with [foreign terrorist fighters] in Syria may seem relatively stable, but it’s Syria. We know that things can change in the blink of an eye. We think there should be a sense of urgency to repatriate now while we still can.’90 38 RIGHTS & SECURITY INTERNATIONAL