ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Approximately 22,000 Iraqi nationals are left in the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava), which holds many individuals with suspected links to the Islamic State (ISIS), an Iraqi official told Rudaw on Sunday.
Ali Abbas, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced, said that Iraq has repatriated over 10,000 nationals from the camp.
Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked people who have been held at al-Hol camp in Rojava’s Hasaka province since the military defeat of the terror group in 2019. The camp has been branded as a humanitarian disaster and a breeding ground for terrorism by security experts.
Last month, Iraq repatriated 150 families from the camp.
Abbas told Rudaw in July that the largest number of families repatriated in one batch this year was 190, adding that there are currently over 900 families residing in al-Jada rehabilitation camp in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province.
While in al-Jada, the repatriated individuals are prepared for reintegration into their communities and then returned to their places of origin.
Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said in March that around 20,000 Iraqis below the age of 18 remain at al-Hol. He described them as “time bombs.”
Kurdish authorities in Rojava repeatedly have 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 citizens due to security concerns.
In June, the Iraqi migration ministry revealed that Iraq and the United Nations reached an agreement to repatriate all Iraqi nationals from the camp by 2027.
The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked opposition in Iraq, with tribes unwilling to accept and welcome people associated with the group that committed heinous human rights abuses and war crimes from 2014 to 2017, when they controlled vast swathes of the country.
Ali Abbas, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced, said that Iraq has repatriated over 10,000 nationals from the camp.
Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked people who have been held at al-Hol camp in Rojava’s Hasaka province since the military defeat of the terror group in 2019. The camp has been branded as a humanitarian disaster and a breeding ground for terrorism by security experts.
Last month, Iraq repatriated 150 families from the camp.
Abbas told Rudaw in July that the largest number of families repatriated in one batch this year was 190, adding that there are currently over 900 families residing in al-Jada rehabilitation camp in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province.
While in al-Jada, the repatriated individuals are prepared for reintegration into their communities and then returned to their places of origin.
Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said in March that around 20,000 Iraqis below the age of 18 remain at al-Hol. He described them as “time bombs.”
Kurdish authorities in Rojava repeatedly have 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 citizens due to security concerns.
In June, the Iraqi migration ministry revealed that Iraq and the United Nations reached an agreement to repatriate all Iraqi nationals from the camp by 2027.
The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked opposition in Iraq, with tribes unwilling to accept and welcome people associated with the group that committed heinous human rights abuses and war crimes from 2014 to 2017, when they controlled vast swathes of the country.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this report
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