Half of Iraqis in Syria’s al-Hol Camp Repatriated

About half of the Iraqi nationals living in the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria have been repatriated, Rudaw reported citing Saad al-Jayashi, an advisor at the Iraqi National Security Advisory. According to al-Jayashi, over 14,000 Iraqis remain in the camp, while nearly 15,000 have been returned and rehabilitated at the al-Jada camp in Nineveh.

The repatriation process is being coordinated between the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava and the Iraqi government. Baghdad aims to repatriate all its nationals held in camps linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) as part of an agreement with the United Nations, as noted by Iraq’s migration and displaced ministry in January. However, the return of ISIS-linked citizens has faced opposition, with some tribes and communities unwilling to accept individuals associated with the group, which committed severe human rights abuses from 2014 to 2017.

Returnees are taken to the al-Jada camp, where they undergo rehabilitation focusing on psychological health, particularly for children, to combat radical ideologies. Al-Jayashi emphasized the goal of reintegrating Iraqi families into society as quickly as possible, noting that around 10,000 individuals have been rehabilitated and returned to their provinces, while approximately 5,000 others are still undergoing rehabilitation at the al-Jada camp.