Iraq
US forces oversee the transfer of Iraqis with suspected ties to the Islamic State (ISIS) from the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) on October 27, 2025. Photo: Screengrab/Rudaw
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Hundreds of Iraqis were transferred from a camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) housing individuals with alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS) to a rehabilitation facility in northern Iraq, marking the 30th such transfer since the Iraqi government began addressing the issue in 2021.
Around 840 Iraqi refugees departed from the al-Hol refugee camp in Rojava’s eastern Hasaka province for the al-Jadah camp in Iraq’s Nineveh province on Monday.
Located in Rojava’s eastern Hasaka province, al-Hol is one of the largest and most volatile displacement camps in the region.
As of September, Rudaw learned that the camp hosted around 27,488 people - approximately 7,770 families - mainly women and children with alleged ties to ISIS. The population includes about 15,233 Syrians, 5,854 Iraqis and thousands of individuals from other countries.
The Iraqi families transferred from al-Hol are chiefly transferred to the al-Jadah camp in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province. Previously a general settlement for internally displaced persons (IDPs), the camp was re-designated in May 2021 to receive women and children with confirmed or suspected ISIS affiliations.
The Monday transfer marks the 30th batch since the repatriation process began.
In late August, Ali Abbas, spokesperson for Iraq’s migration ministry, had told Rudaw that 29 batches had been completed since 2021. The ministry reported on Sunday that around 19,000 people had already returned from al-Hol, with the latest group bringing the total to roughly 20,000.
Footage of the repatriation showed United States forces accompanying the convoy, believed to include family members of ISIS fighters.
In September, Iraq hosted a conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York to discuss plans for emptying and dismantling al-Hol. The meeting resulted in the formation of a joint task cell, led by the US, to facilitate the repatriation of foreign nationals from the camp.
However, some governments continue to resist taking back their citizens, citing security concerns.
In addition to al-Hol, the Roj camp - also located in Hasaka - holds around 2,600 foreign nationals linked to ISIS.
Roj is generally considered less volatile than al-Hol, and some detainees have been transferred there for security or potential rehabilitation purposes.
Both camps are administered and secured by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and their affiliate internal security units (Asayish). Backed by the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the SDF has managed these facilities since the terror group’s territorial defeat in Syria in early 2019.
The Kurdish-led forces have repeatedly warned that the ongoing security and humanitarian burden posed by the camps is unsustainable, urging foreign governments to repatriate their citizens and work toward a lasting solution to the crisis.
Comments
Rudaw moderates all comments submitted on our website. We welcome comments which are relevant to the article and encourage further discussion about the issues that matter to you. We also welcome constructive criticism about Rudaw.
To be approved for publication, however, your comments must meet our community guidelines.
We will not tolerate the following: profanity, threats, personal attacks, vulgarity, abuse (such as sexism, racism, homophobia or xenophobia), or commercial or personal promotion.
Comments that do not meet our guidelines will be rejected. Comments are not edited – they are either approved or rejected.
Post a comment