ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government has repatriated nearly 500 families from Syria's al-Hol camp since mid-2021, a security advisor told Rudaw on Friday, adding that the majority of them are aged under 18.
Iraqis have made up more than half of the population of the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) for years. Most of the camp's 56,000 residents are wives and children of the Islamic State (ISIS) fighters.
Kurdish officials have struggled to manage the camp where tens of Iraqis have been killed in recent years. Iraq began repatriating its citizens last year, despite criticism from some Iraqis and politicians who fear that these people may pose a threat to the security of the country. They have been settled in al-Jada camp in Nineveh province.
"From May 2021 to January 2022, 450 families of nearly 1,780 people have been repatriated - more than 86 percent of whom are aged under 18. We are talking about a community that includes women, children and adults. The centre includes activities and it has a special program for rehabilitation," Saad al-Jayashi, Security Advisor at the Iraqi National Security Advisory, told Rudaw's Mushtaq Ramadhan on Friday
He preferred to call the camp a rehabilitation centre.
"A school has been opened in coordination with UNICEF and the Iraqi Education Ministry," added the advisor, saying about 10 public institutions as well as UN agencies work there.
"One of the challenges we face is that all children, aged between 16 and 17, have never been to school and are illiterate. Therefore, we have coordination with the Education Ministry to open fast learning courses for them," Jayashi said.
He also said so far 192 children have registered for the school and more will register soon. He noted that 72 families of 294 people have been rehabilitated and allowed to return to their homes. The government is working on allowing two other batches to leave the camp to areas they were before migrating in 2014. "Rehabilitation process continues. It takes 90 days [to rehabilitate people]."
The official said that they provide Friday sermons and ideological lessons as well as sports activities to the repatriated people.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) arrested thousands of ISIS fighters and their wives and children when they took control of the group's last stronghold in Syria in March 2019. Most of these people are held at al-Hol.
Kurdish officials have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their citizens but only a few have responded positively.
"The more our children stay there, the more difficult our challenges will be when dealing with the issue," Jayashi said.
The return of these Iraqis was initially postponed after people protested against the repatriation. The Iraqi advisor claimed that the returnees have not caused any issues, but there is "humanitarian suffering."
