The Syrian army today declared a “closed security zone” in the Al Hall camp, where relatives of Islamic State jihadists are being held in northeastern Syria.

Syrian forces took control of the camp last week after the Kurds withdrew.

About 24,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians and nearly 6,200 women and children from 42 countries, including many from the West, currently live in Al Hall, the largest IS family camp in Syria.

A former humanitarian worker told Agence France-Presse that prisoners escaped, taking advantage of the “security vacuum” after Kurdish forces left and before the Syrian army deployed. He did not specify how many escaped or their nationality.

Kurdish forces have been the spearhead in the battle against IS in Syria, backed by the US-led international coalition. The Kurds have imprisoned thousands of jihadists and confined their families to camps.

To avoid escapes and prevent those jihadists from rejoining the IS cells still operating in Syria, the US last week began transferring the prisoners to neighboring Iraq. The U.S. military says it wants to transfer up to 7,000 suspects to the neighboring country.

IS, for its part, in its weekly propaganda message, called on its supporters to release the detainees at Al Hall, according to SITE, a group that specializes in researching terrorist organizations online.

The UNHCR had taken over management of the camp earlier this year. It said water and bread deliveries, which had been interrupted for several days, had resumed.

In addition, Save The Children reported today that the humanitarian situation in the camp is “deteriorating rapidly” and food, water, and medicine are scarce.