Baghdad sets six-month deadline to empty Al-Hol of Iraqi families

Shafaq News – Baghdad

The Iraqi government plans to bring home all families from Syria’s Al-Hol camp, housing many linked to ISIS members, within the next six months, National Security Adviser Qasim Al-Araji said on Thursday.

Al-Aaraji told Shafaq News that only a small number of Iraqi families remain in the camp, describing the repatriation file as a government priority. He noted that rehabilitation and reintegration programs are proceeding alongside the transfers, with returnees enrolled in pre-established plans aimed at supporting their social, psychological, health, and educational needs and issuing required legal documents.

Read more: Progress and perils: Iraq continues Al-Hol returns

The Ministry of Migration and Displacement reported that 29 earlier rounds had already brought back 19,000 Iraqis, including 12,564 who completed full rehabilitation programs. The 30th and 31st rounds, carried out in October and December, repatriated 249 families totaling 840 people and another 240 families totaling 858 people.

The security adviser underlined that the government’s goal is to “fully close” the Al-Hol file once all Iraqi families have returned.