Around 700 Iraqis are leaving the "Al-Hol" camp in Syria.
Hundreds of Iraqi families residing in the "Al-Hol" camp in eastern Al-Hasakah Governorate in Syria are preparing to leave the camp as part of an ongoing campaign to repatriate Iraqis back to their country since the beginning of the current year.
According to Iraqi media reports citing Syrian sources (not named), today, Saturday, March 29, 190 families, comprising over 700 individuals, will depart the camp after completing official departure procedures according to agreed-upon lists and mechanisms.
The Iraqi news site "Shafaq News" reported that "more than 15 buses entered from Iraq to Al-Hasakah Governorate through the Walid border crossing in Al-Yarubiya, in preparation for transporting the families to Iraqi territories amidst tight security measures."
Since the beginning of the current year, the United Nations, in collaboration with the Iraqi government, has launched a plan to support the return of Iraqis from the "Al-Hol" and "Rojava" camps in northeastern Syria, rehabilitating and integrating them into their cities and towns in Iraq.
The Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced Persons previously announced that Iraq received 11,529 individuals from Iraqi citizens who were residing in the "Al-Hol" camp in eastern Al-Hasakah Governorate in Syria.
The camp dates back to 1991 when it was established to accommodate Iraqi refugees fleeing the Gulf War, managed by Syrian authorities at the request of the UNHCR in the 1990s.
In 2003, the camp, spanning an area of three square kilometers, was reopened to receive Iraqis returning to the country following the US military operation in Iraq. In 2013, the camp fell to ISIS before being recaptured by the SDF in 2015 with support from the international coalition, and it remains under their administration to this day.
On January 16, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM) visited Iraq to meet with American and Iraqi military leaders in Baghdad and Erbil, emphasizing the necessity of repatriating Iraqis who were affiliated with ISIS in northeastern Syria.
