The Daily Life of IS Wives in Syrian Camps

A woman walks by the entrance of the al-Hol Camp in northern Syria. More than 70,000 people who were living in IS-controlled areas are detained here, Aug. 26, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)

At least 50,000 children are detained at al-Hol with their mothers. Many of them are sons and daughters of IS fighters who died or are in prison, in al Hol, Aug. 26, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)

Nobody can leave al-Hol camp without the permission of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the U.S.-backed Kurdish group that controls most of northern Syria, in al Hol, Aug. 26, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)

Thousands of people are living in tents in this desert area near the Iraqi border. During the summer, temperatures in this regions can reach 45 degrees Celsius, and in the winter they can go below freezing, in al Hol, Aug. 26, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)

Elina Fritzler is one of the thousands of women who came from all over the world to join the ‘Caliphate.’ With two sons born while with IS, she now wants to go back to Germany, her home country, in Ain Issa, Sept. 1, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)

Many of the foreign women who live at Ain Issa Camp still follow rules implemented by IS when it controlled parts of Iraq and Syria, Sept. 1, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)

Children who live at the Ain Issa Camp spend the day playing around the tents. There is not enough space in the schools to accommodate all of them, Sept. 1, 2019. (Yan Boechat/VOA)