ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government has not invited the Kurdish administration in northeast Syria (Rojava) for a key conference in New York regarding the fate of thousands of individuals held by Rojava authorities for their ties with the Islamic State (ISIS), a Kurdish official told Rudaw English on Wednesday.
Iraq plans to hold the conference on September 26 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly. The aim of the event is to accelerate the repatriation of ISIS-linked individuals from the notorious al-Hol camp in Rojava’s Hasaka city,
Sheikhmous Ahmed, who oversees all internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugee camps in Rojava, told Rudaw English on Wednesday that they welcome the move by Iraq but expressed his disappointment for Baghdad's failure to invite the Kurdish administration in Syria to the event.
“Officials from the Autonomous Administration [Rojava] should have been invited as they are related to this issue but, unfortunately, we have not received any official invitation from the Iraqi government or UN,” Ahmed said.
Iraq has repatriated its nationals in groups, bringing them to al-Jada camp south of Mosul, where they go through a rehabilitation program before reintegrating into the community. Baghdad has set a goal of repatriating all Iraqi citizens from camps in Rojava by 2027.
Baghdad repatriated around 800 nationals from al-Hol camp last week, and Ahmed said the Iraqi authorities are preparing for the return for another 1,000 nationals in the coming days.
The camp has a population of 27,488 people (7,770 families), mostly women and children with alleged ties with ISIS. The number includes 15,233 Syrians (4,200 families), and 5,854 Iraqis (1,655) families. The rest are from numerous countries around the world, according to the latest figure Ahmed’s office provided to Rudaw English.
Iraq has invited many countries to attend the conference.
The Rojava official said Baghdad aims to minimize the number of its nationals in the camp before the conference, noting that some Iraqis are reluctant to return out of fear of reprisals by militia groups or because they are wanted by the government.
Al-Hol camp is infamous for its squalid conditions and has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism. Rojava security forces on Wednesday announced that they thwarted a mass escape from the camp on Tuesday, adding that 56 people were arrested while trying to escape.
Rojava and US officials have repeatedly urged countries to repatriate their nationals, but some governments remain reluctant over fear of extremist ideology spreading at home.
Australia’s ruling Liberal-National Coalition has slammed Canberra for its plan to repatriate a dozen ISIS brides from Syria. They are expected to be sent back to New South Wales and Victoria, reported Sky News Australia on Wednesday.
