The families will be “sent to al-Jada camp for rehabilitation, where they will remain for several months depending on their situation,” ministry spokesperson Ali Abbas told Rudaw.
Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked people who have been held at al-Hol camp in northeast Syria’s Hasaka province since the defeat of the jihadists in 2019. The camp has been branded a breeding ground for terrorism.
Their repatriation “depends on a schedule determined by relevant security authorities, through coordination with the Syrian Democratic Forces [SDF] and relevant arrangements,” according to Abbas.
The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked opposition in Iraq, with tribes unwilling to accept people associated with the group that committed heinous human rights abuses and war crimes from 2014 to 2017, when they controlled vast swathes of the country.
Most repatriated individuals are temporarily housed in al-Jada camp in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province, to be prepared for reintegration into their communities.
Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camps, but their calls have largely gone unanswered as most countries are unwilling to bring back their citizens due to security concerns.
On Thursday, the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava said that doors are open in al-Hol for the “voluntary return” of Syrians to their hometowns.
