Syria shuts Islamic State-linked al Hol camp after emptying it

DAMASCUS,— Syrian authorities have closed the Al-Hol camp, which for years housed relatives of Islamic State fighters, following the relocation of all residents, a camp official told AFP on Sunday.

Fadi al-Qassem, appointed by the Syrian government to oversee Al-Hol, said both Syrian and foreign families were moved from the camp.

“All Syrian and non-Syrian families were relocated,” he told AFP.

Al-Hol, situated in a desert area of Hasaka province, was Syria’s largest facility for relatives of suspected IS fighters.

The camp had been run by Kurdish forces until last month, when Damascus took control after Kurdish authorities withdrew from the area as the government expanded its presence across northeast Syria.

Since the transfer of authority, thousands of family members of foreign jihadists have left the camp for destinations that remain undisclosed.

Al-Hol had housed around 24,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, along with more than 6,000 others from about 40 countries.

Qassem said security forces were inspecting tents to ensure no families remained. Earlier this week, authorities began moving remaining residents to a camp in Akhtarin, in northern Aleppo province.

Some families were transferred to other locations, but Qassem did not provide details. “The camp’s residents are children and women who need support for their reintegration,” he added.

A humanitarian source who had been active in Al-Hol said that all teams had been evacuated and that equipment and prefabricated rooms were dismantled and removed.

Last week, the U.S. military said it had completed the transfer of thousands of IS suspects, including many Syrians and Western nationals, to Iraq. These individuals had been held in Kurdish-run prisons in northeast Syria for several years.

Human Rights Watch warned Tuesday that the roughly 5,700 detainees transferred to Iraq face risks of enforced disappearance, unfair trials, torture, ill-treatment, and violations of the right to life.

Kurdish authorities had urged countries to repatriate their citizens, but most nations returned only small numbers due to security concerns and potential political backlash.

(With files from AFP)