At the end of September, the population of al-Hol encampment stood at just under 70,000. Living conditions are appalling.
During its heyday in 20142015, Islamic State (ISIS) conquered, and ruled over, great tracts of Iraq and Syria. It took four years, but the US coalition, relying heavily on the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), slowly but surely won back ISIS-held territory, squeezing its fighters into an increasingly tight enclave. The final battle took place this year on Saturday, March 23, in the village of Baghouz on the banks of the Euphrates, on Syria's eastern border.
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