ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A new batch of Iraqi nationals believed to be close to a thousand people held in the Kurdish-held al-Hol camp in northeast Syria (Rojava) are set to be repatriated on September 20, a lawmaker said on Thursday. The move comes days before an Iraq-sponsored conference on the Islamic State (ISIS) related camp in New York.
Sherwan Dubardani, a member of Iraqi parliament’s migration and displacement committee, told Rudaw that it is not exactly clear how many people will be repatriated, but “they are talking about around a thousand.”
Sheikhmous Ahmed, who oversees all internally displaced persons (IDP) and refugee camps in Rojava, told Rudaw English that the number is believed to be over 800 people from 200 families.
He added that it is up to the Iraqi side when to return these people, noting that they have not been informed of the date.
Iraq plans to hold a conference on September 26 on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, aiming to accelerate the repatriation of ISIS-linked individuals from the notorious al-Hol camp in the vicinity of Rojava’s Hasaka city.
Ahmed told Rudaw English last week that they have not been invited to the event.
The camp has a population of 27,488 people (7,770 families), mostly women and children with alleged ties with ISIS. The number includes 15,233 Syrians (4,200 families) and 5,854 Iraqis (1,655 families). The rest are from numerous countries around the world, according to the latest figure Ahmed’s office provided to Rudaw English.
Al-Hol camp, notorious for its dire conditions, has often been described as a breeding ground for terrorism. Rojava security forces recently carried out several operations inside the camp chasing suspected ISIS cells. Dozens of suspects have been detained in recent weeks.
Both Rojava and US officials have repeatedly urged countries to repatriate their nationals, but many governments remain hesitant, citing fears of extremist ideology spreading domestically.
Nahro Mohammed contributed to this article.
