Syrian government and Kurds agree to evacuate families from al-Hol camp

Published on 27/05/2025 - 11:17 GMT+2

Syria’s nationalist authorities and Kurdish authorities successful nan northeast of nan state person agreed to evacuate Syrian citizens from a godforsaken campy that houses group pinch alleged ties to nan alleged Islamic State group (IS).

Al-Hol campy holds astir 37,000 people, galore of whom are nan wives and children of nan IS group's fighters.

Sheikhmous Ahmed, an charismatic successful nan Kurdish-led authority successful northeast Syria, announced connected Monday that an statement had been reached to return Syrian families from nan godforsaken camp, pursuing talks betwixt section leaders, representatives from Damascus, and a delegation from nan US-led world conjugation fighting IS.

The representatives did not talk astir whether Damascus would return power of nan campy successful nan future, Ahmed said.

A erstwhile system had allowed Syrians successful al-Hol to return to their communities successful Kurdish-controlled areas of nan country, pinch centres established to reintegrate them.

However, this was not nan lawsuit for nan remainder of Syria, wherever a civilian warfare raged for 13 years until dictator Bashar al-Assad was ousted successful December aft a lightning violative by rebel groups.

The US has agelong urged countries to let nan return of their citizens from al-Hol and nan smaller Roj camp, which person been described arsenic breeding grounds for extremism.

Although Iraq has repatriated galore of its citizens successful caller years, galore different countries stay reluctant to do so.

The statement connected Syrian nationals comes arsenic portion of an effort astatine person practice betwixt Kurdish authorities successful nan northeast and nan authorities successful Damascus.

In March, Syria's interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and Mazloum Abdi, nan commandant of nan US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), agreed that nan SDF would beryllium merged into nan caller nationalist army.

All separator crossings pinch Iraq and Turkey will travel nether Damascus' control, arsenic will airports and lipid fields successful nan northeast.

The US has pushed for nan cardinal authorities to return power of prisons successful northeast Syria, wherever astir 9,000 alleged erstwhile IS group fighters are being held.