Chaos is creeping closer to the detention camps of north-east Syria, and with it comes renewed anxiety about what could happen next.
As fighting intensifies between rival forces, fears are growing that thousands of ISIS-linked detainees — including Shamima Begum — could soon slip beyond control.
Shamima Begum’s Current Reality Inside al-Roj Camp
Shamima Begum, now 26, remains confined in al-Roj camp, a harsh and overcrowded detention site known for violence and poor living conditions.
The camp is run by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who also manage several other facilities holding more than 9,000 ISIS fighters and roughly 40,000 women and children tied to the terror group.
Begum has been there since 2019, after being discovered in a Syrian refugee camp.
By that point, the UK government had already stripped her of her British citizenship, citing national security concerns.
Kurdish Forces Losing Control as Fighting Escalates
The situation on the ground has taken a dramatic turn.
The SDF has reportedly lost nearly all of its territory to forces loyal to Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Although both sides agreed to a ceasefire, the calm didn’t last.
Fresh clashes erupted near three SDF-run detention facilities — al-Aqtan prison near Raqqa, another in Deir al-Zour, and a third in al-Shadadi.
The SDF admitted it was trying to move ISIS detainees to safer locations but said it had so far been unable to do so.
Video footage circulating online appeared to show dozens of prisoners escaping from Deir al-Zour, adding to fears that control is slipping fast.
Warnings of a Renewed Regional Threat
Security experts are sounding the alarm.
Kamaran Palani of the London School of Economics’ Middle East Centre warned that the mass release of ISIS detainees could revive the group as a serious regional danger.
He stressed that this is not a matter of a few isolated individuals.
Thousands of fighters — along with their families — could be absorbed into the emerging Syrian power structure.
According to Palani, ideology matters more than numbers, and many of these individuals may willingly integrate into new security forces led by President al-Sharaa, who has his own jihadist past.
How Begum’s Legal Battle Brought Her Back Into Focus
These developments come at a time when Shamima Begum’s legal case has re-entered the spotlight.
Earlier this month, the European Court of Human Rights formally asked the UK Home Office to respond to questions over whether her citizenship removal breached human rights and anti-trafficking laws.
Begum was just 15 when she left her home in Bethnal Green, east London, with two school friends in 2015 to join ISIS.
She later married an ISIS fighter and had children, all of whom have since died.
A Long Trail of Legal Defeats in the UK
Since losing her citizenship in 2019 under then-Home Secretary Sajid Javid, Begum has pursued multiple legal challenges.
She lost a key appeal in February 2023 when the Special Immigration Appeals Commission ruled the government’s decision was lawful.
Further appeals failed at the Court of Appeal in February 2024, and the Supreme Court declined to hear her case in August 2024.
Her lawyers had warned, however, that the European Court of Human Rights remained an option — and they followed through.
Political Backlash and Firm Opposition in Westminster
The ECHR’s involvement has triggered strong reactions in the UK.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed to defend the original decision to strip Begum of her citizenship.
Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has gone further, saying he will press for firm guarantees in Parliament that Begum will never be allowed to return.
He urged the government to fight the case aggressively, describing ISIS as a brutal terrorist organisation responsible for widespread murder and sexual violence.
What the European Court Is Now Asking
The Home Office has been instructed to answer four detailed questions from the European court.
Among them is whether removing Begum’s citizenship violated Article 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects individuals from slavery and forced labour.
Another question asks whether Begum was legally within the UK’s jurisdiction at the time her citizenship was revoked — a key issue under Article 1 of the Convention.
The court is also examining whether the Home Secretary’s decision directly engaged Begum’s Article 4 rights.
What Happens Next?
With detention camps destabilising and legal pressure mounting from Europe, the future remains uncertain.
Shamima Begum could soon face freedom not through a courtroom victory, but through the collapse of the system holding her.
Whether that leads to renewed security risks, further political battles in Britain, or a decisive legal ruling from Europe is now the pressing question — and the answers may come sooner than expected.
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