Islamic State wives who escaped prison camps in Syria are funding from public donation platforms, according to reports. Thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) prisoners were freed from al-Hol detention camp in January after the Kurdish-led Syrian Defence Force (SDF) was attacked by forces loyal to the new Syrian Government. The offensive by Damascus loyalists came as US envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack, warned that the SDF’s role “as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired”.

Supporters of the terrorist organisation have since reportedly raised money to cover living costs for ISIS wives and children on crowdfunding platforms, including GoFundMe, according to The Telegraph. The alleged crowdfunding has been advertised on social media in English, Russian, German and Arabic, asking for donations of up to £4,000 in a bid to integrate the former detainees with the wider public. GoFundMe said it takes any attempt to misuse its platform extremely seriously and quickly removes fundraisers that don’t meet its risk thresholds.

News of the freed prisoners, who fled after Damascus seized the camp on January 23, sparked fears of renewed radicalisation.

Jinan Hanan, who was in charge of al-Hol, previously told the Express that officials had been “working with NGOs and charities to rehabilitate” its occupants.

She added: “Now, those women and children have been taken away to be exploited and radicalised again. What has happened in al-Hol, and is happening in other camps, poses a danger not just to the region but to the whole international community.”

Instability in the Middle East and West Asian regions, amid the US-Israeli war with Iran, has exacerbated fears of a renewed ISIS threat, with former terror strongholds Iraq and Syria in positions of volatility.

The whereabouts of the 20,000-odd people thought to have left al-Hol remains unknown, as does the legitimacy of the numerous crowdfunding campaigns, some of which could be scams.

One such appeal read: “Some Akhwat who have exited Hol Camp are in need of help to pay their rent of 150$, if you can contribute even a third of the amount, please contact us.”

Another read: “I have tried my best, even though I am flawed, to help families in Al Sham (Damascus) and the surrounding region financially. I have contacts with a few sisters… in financial depravity… The total sum includes for the house alongside other necessities like groceries, clothing, heating etc.”

Mona Thakkar, a researcher specialising in terrorist financing, said ISIS was perceptive enough to shroud their language in general humanitarian terms on the fundraising platforms.

“They’re very adaptive to use every foreign financial mechanism to get money to detainees,” she said. “They get the cover of legitimacy and also exposure to a global audience. You can just share the links, and anyone can donate to these causes.”

A spokesperson for GoFundMe said: “GoFundMe has zero tolerance for terrorist financing and we have robust controls in place to prevent funds from reaching sanctioned regions or designated terrorist organisations.

“We take any attempt to misuse our platform extremely seriously and move quickly to remove any fundraisers that don’t meet our risk thresholds.”