Iraq repatriates 950 displaced persons from al-Hol Camp in Syria

HASAKAH, North and East Syria — Iraq remains one of the key countries actively working to repatriate its citizens from camps in North and East Syria. On Sunday morning, the Iraqi government dispatched 30 buses to the al-Hol camp in Syria to transfer 250 families—approximately 950 displaced persons, most of them women and children—back to Iraq.

This marks the largest repatriation operation in terms of numbers compared to previous rounds. Al-Hol camp, located in Syria’s al-Hasakah Governorate, houses tens of thousands of families affiliated with the Islamic State’s militants (ISIS).

Since 2021, Iraq has repatriated more than 15,000 displaced persons from Syria. However, around 12,600 Iraqi nationals still remain in camps across northeastern Syria.

Earlier this year, Iraq conducted two major repatriation operations. In April, 241 families—comprising 865 individuals—were transferred from al-Hol. In a second operation, 223 families were repatriated. Returnees are expected to undergo psychological support and social reintegration programs before being reintegrated into their home communities.

The returnees are currently housed at the Jadaa Rehabilitation Camp near the city of Mosul, which was captured by ISIS in 2014. The repatriation has sparked mixed reactions in Nineveh Province, particularly in the Nineveh Plains—home to a large segment of Iraq’s Chaldeans–Syriacs–Assyrians—where many residents have expressed strong opposition to the return of ISIS-affiliated families.