Error occured during this request! Please try again later.
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Baghdad is preparing for the repatriation of more than 600 Iraqis suspected of having links to the Islamic State (ISIS) from Syria's Kurdish-controlled al-Hol camp, a Kurdish official said on Saturday. The camp’s population has dropped to 25,301 individuals, down from more than 60,000 after the defeat of ISIS.
“Iraq continues [repatriations]. Last week, it repatriated 245 families. Now they are preparing for the repatriation of another batch,” Sheikhmous Ahmed, who oversees all internally displaced persons and refugee camps in northeast Syria (Rojava), told Rudaw English.
“Their number is between 600 and 700 individuals from around 250 families,” he added, noting that all preparations have been completed and they are awaiting the Iraqi side to receive the group.
A member of the Iraqi parliament’s migration committee, Sherwan Dubardani, confirmed to Rudaw English that Baghdad plans to repatriate more nationals from al-Hol. This group, which he expects to include over 800 individuals from 250 families, is the thirtieth that Iraq has brought back.
The date of the repatriation has not been disclosed.
Al-Hol camp in Hasaka province is infamous for its squalid conditions and has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism. Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 25,301 ISIS-linked people who have been held at the camp since the defeat of the group in 2019. There are also people in the camp from around the world who had traveled to join the so-called ISIS caliphate.
The camp’s population was initially around 60,000.
Rojava officials have allowed Syrians held at the camp to return to their homes since January.
A delegation from the Syrian government visited al-Hol camp in May. This was the first visit to the camp by the interim government. They were also joined by representatives from the US-led global coalition against ISIS, local media reported at the time.
All Iraqis brought back from the camp are put in al-Jadaa camp in Nineveh where they go through a rehabilitation program before they can return to their original homes. Baghdad had temporarily paused repatriations from al-Hol because of overcrowding at al-Jadaa.
Iraq held a conference on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York in September to discuss emptying and dismantling al-Hol. The conference resulted in the establishment of a joint cell, led by the United States, to facilitate the repatriation of the camp’s foreign residents. Some governments have resisted taking responsibility for their citizens, citing security concerns.
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