Three women found shot dead at Syrian camp housing IS families

Three women were found shot dead earlier this week at a refugee camp in northeastern Syria housing the families and relatives of Islamic State group [IS] members.

The bodies of the three women were found at dawn on Monday in Al-Hol camp, one of the largest in the region. While one of the victims was identified as an Iraqi national, the other two could not be identified at the time.

The Iraqi woman was found in her tent with two bullets to her head and one in her shoulder in the camp’s first sector, Nahr Media, a local news network reported.

The other two were found hours later dumped near a mosque in the camp’s fourth sector, killed the same way.

An investigation is underway.

The latest violence brings the death toll in the camp to nine since the beginning of this year, most of whom are Iraqis who have been suspected of collaborating with the US military.

Al-Hol, in the Kurdish-controlled northeast, is Syria's largest camp for displaced people. It houses about 56,000 displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees, some of whom are linked by family or other ties to IS members.

About 10,000 are foreign nationals, including relatives of IS militants.

The camp witnessed at least 126 killings last year – including women and children - with many tents set ablaze.