Most foreign IS families depart Syria’s Al-Hol camp: aid officials

Many foreign residents of al-Hol camp were smuggled to Idlib, says a humanitarian source.

HASAKA,— Most foreign families have left the Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria following the withdrawal of Kurdish forces, humanitarian sources told AFP on Thursday.

The camp, located in Hasaka province, is Syria’s largest facility for relatives of Islamic State ISIS fighters.

Al-Hol was home to roughly 24,000 people, mostly women and children, including about 15,000 Syrians, several thousand Iraqis, and more than 6,000 foreigners from nearly 40 countries.

Last month, Syrian government Islamist forces took control of the camp after Kurdish authorities in Syrian Kurdistan handed it over. The takeover followed a broader shift of territory from Kurdish administration to Damascus in the north and east of Syria.

Most of the families in the camp were closely linked to the core of the Islamic State and followed strict Islamic rules inside the camp since 2019, teaching their children similar radical beliefs.

Many women and children threw stones and verbally abused journalists who visited the camp for interviews. In January, television footage showed them celebrating as the Islamist forces loyal to Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharra took control of the camp.

The camp included a high-security section for foreigners, separate from Syrian and Iraqi residents.

A humanitarian source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that since last Saturday, fewer than 20 families remained in the foreigners’ section.

Many women and children who lived in the high-security area were from Russia, the Caucasus, and Central Asia.

Another humanitarian source confirmed that most foreign residents had left the annex. Some were moved into the main camp, while others were reportedly transported elsewhere.

An eyewitness told AFP that armed men, some appearing to be foreigners, were seen taking fully veiled women from the camp in vehicles after government forces entered.

A Syrian foreign ministry official said authorities were conducting a census of Al-Hol. The official did not confirm any escapes but said that if anyone had left the camp, it was due to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which withdrew from the site without proper handover.

On January 20, 2026, the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces said they were compelled to leave Al-Hol camp.

The Syrian interior ministry said it was taking measures to maintain security, while the army entered the camp the following day.

The first humanitarian source said many foreign residents were reportedly smuggled to Idlib and other provinces. A smaller number joined the main section of the camp.

Idlib was previously controlled by radical Islamist and jihadist groups, including foreign fighters, before an Islamist-led alliance overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

(With files from AFP | Agencies)