ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - More than 4,400 people affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS) left camps in northeast Syria and returned to their homes since the beginning of this year, the global coalition against the terror group said on Saturday, applauding Kurdish authorities for their work on the issue. “In 2023, thanks to the enduring support from Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve’s local partners, the Syrian Democratic Forces, and the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, more than 4,400 people have been returned to their communities and countries of origin from these camps, helping to ease the burden of providing humanitarian services and reducing the risk of Daesh’s [ISIS] exploitation of this vulnerable population,” read a statement from the US-led coalition. Al-Hol camp, located in Hasaka province, has been branded a breeding ground for ISIS, with authorities describing the sprawling facility as a “ticking time bomb.” Most of the ISIS-linked people are in this camp. “Approximately 47,000 individuals from more than 60 countries remain in displaced person camps, 60% of whom are children including nearly 5,000 under the age of five. Repatriation is the only enduring solution,” the coalition added. US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Friday that 96 people were repatriated from al-Hol camp by the Kyrgyz Republic, the fourth group of Kyrgyz nationals to return to their country this year. “In total, the Kyrgyz Republic has repatriated 333 of its nationals this year, a substantial portion of the nearly 5,000 individuals returned to their countries of origin in 2023,” Miller stated. The Kurdish-led Syrian SDF, which controls northeast Syria, fought the lion’s share of the battle against ISIS and arrested thousands of the terror group’s fighters along with their wives and children when they crushed ISIS territorially and took the group’s last stronghold in 2019. Kurdish authorities have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camps, but their calls have largely gone unanswered as most countries are unwilling to bring back their nationals due to security concerns. Iraq has repatriated a total of 1,559 families, numbering 6,987 individuals, from Syria and brought them to al-Jadaa camp near Mosul, according to documentation from the camp seen by Rudaw English.
