Kurdish Red Crescent nurse in Al-Hol killed by ISIS cell, Red Cross doctor attacked with sharp object

HASAKAH, Syria — Bassem Muhammad Muhammad, a young man who worked as a nurse for the Kurdish Red Crescent, was shot in the head and killed by an Islamic State (ISIS) cell in Al-Hol Refugee Camp. The Kurdish Red Crescent has evacuated its personnel from the camp until further notice.

Around the same time, a doctor of the International Committee of the Red Cross was attacked with a sharp object by a person affiliated with ISIS with the intention of killing him. Most international organizations have, for now, withdrawn their staff from the camp.

Al-Hol Camp, east of Hasakah city, is a ticking time bomb, say officials. The camp is considered the most dangerous place currently housing ISIS families, including women and children, with murders and assassinations common within its boundaries.

Bassem Muhammad Muhammad was the latest victim of extremists in the camp. The 26-year-old lived in the Al-Salhiya neighborhood of Hasakah city and worked as a nurse with the Kurdish Red Crescent.

According to local sources, an ISIS cell entered the Kurdish Red Crescent site by impersonating other people. When they were discovered, Bassem was shot in the head. After the incident, Kurdish Red Crescent medical staff were completely evacuated from the camp until further notice.

Nearly 90 people were killed in Al-Hol camp during the past year, including displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees.

The U.S. State Department condemned the attacks and stated that it will continue to work with international humanitarian partners, the international community, and local authorities to achieve stability and improve conditions in the camp.

In a statement, the United Nations called for measures to preserve the safety of aid workers in the camps of North and East Syria. The U.N. statement described the attack on the aid worker as abhorrent.

“The attack reminds us that the security situation in North and East Syria is still unacceptable,” read the UN statement.

Amid increasing violence against the residents and aid workers in the camp, many international organizations suspended their work in the camp.