Syrian government shuts down Al-Hol camp in Hasakah

Shafaq News- Damascus

The Syrian government evacuated and permanently closed Al-Hol camp, which housed families of ISIS members, after transferring the remaining residents to camps in northern Aleppo province, a source told Shafaq News on Sunday.

According to an employee of an international organization operating inside the camp, who requested anonymity, most Iraqi families —estimated at around 2,000— fled as the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew and tribal fighters, alongside Syrian government-affiliated forces, arrived.

The foreign families section witnessed “near-mass departures” during the first two days of the SDF withdrawal, while most families fled toward Idlib and Aleppo with assistance from Syrians who came to the camp, and some entered Iraqi and Lebanese territory through smuggling routes.

Regarding Iraqi families, the employee noted that Syrian authorities also transferred dozens of Iraqi families who refused to return to Iraq from Al-Hol camp to Aq Burhan camp in the Aleppo countryside.

Last month, the Syrian army declared the area around Al-Hol camp a closed security zone after taking control of the facility. The camp, previously under SDF control, housed about 26,500 people, including roughly 14,000 Syrians, 4,000 Iraqis, and 6,200 foreign nationals.

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