More than 20,000 Iraqis – mostly women and children from the families of IS militants – are still living in Al-Hol camp [Getty]
The Iraqi government and the UN have agreed to repatriate all families linked to Islamic State (IS) members from Syria’s al-Hol camp in al-Hasakah Province by 2027.
Ali Abbas, spokesperson for the migration ministry, announced the recent return of 81 more Iraqi families from al-Hol camp to al-Jada camp in southern Mosul, northern Iraq.
“Since 2021, more than 2,600 Iraqi families have been repatriated from al-Hol, and the process will continue until the last family is returned,” Abbas said.
On 22 January, Sabah al-Naaman, spokesperson for Iraq’s commander-in-chief, said that the National Security Council had reviewed the situation of Iraqi families in al-Hol camp and planned to launch a large-scale repatriation effort soon.
Al-Hol camp, located in northeastern Syria, houses tens of thousands of people, including the families of suspected IS fighters.
It is considered a security threat due to reports of radicalisation and violence within the camp.
More than 20,000 Iraqis – mostly women and children from the families of IS militants – are still living there, according to the latest statistics from the Iraqi migration ministry.
Many detainees, including other nationalities, have been stranded there for years with limited access to basic services, as repatriation efforts by various countries have been slow.
Iraq’s war on IS led to the displacement of 60,000 Iraqis and foreigners to Syria.
