Iraq repatriates over 230 families from Syria ISIS detention camp
Kurdish-led forces dismantle suspected ISIS cell in al-Hol
Rojava Kurds fear Kurdish forces integration with Syria state amid surge in minority violence
Unidentified gunmen target SDF in Deir ez-Zor
US repatriates child from Rojava ISIS detention camp
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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government on Thursday repatriated over 230 families from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) housing people with links to the Islamic State (ISIS), the Kurdish-led Rojava administration said.
'The al-Hol camp administration on Thursday evacuated 233 Iraqi families (812 individuals) in coordination between the [US-led] international coalition forces, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria [DAANES], and the Iraqi government,' the Rojava administration said in a statement.
The latest repatriations marked the 28th batch of Iraqis to leave the camp, headed to the al-Jada camp in the northern Nineveh province for rehabilitation, according to DAANES.
'More people wishing to leave the camps in north and east Syria will be repatriated in the coming period,' it added.
Thousands of individuals with suspected ISIS ties are held in al-Hol and Roj camps, both located in Rojava's Hasaka province and controlled by the Kurdish-led and US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Al-Hol is the larger of the two, housing nearly 30,000 people as of Thursday, according to data obtained by Rudaw English from Sheikhmous Ahmed, who supervises the camps in Rojava.
Al-Hol has become notorious for its poor conditions and has been described as a breeding ground for terrorism. Since ISIS's territorial defeat in 2019, tens of thousands of people linked to the group - mostly Iraqis and Syrians - have been held there, alongside others from across the world who traveled to join the jihadists' so-called caliphate.
Iraq has been repatriating its citizens from the camps in groups and providing rehabilitation, and is planning to host a conference in Geneva in September to encourage more countries to follow suit.
Many other countries, however, remain reluctant to take back their nationals over fears of extremist ideology spreading at home.
Baghdad has set a goal of repatriating all Iraqi citizens from camps in Rojava by 2027.
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