As part of joint efforts between the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria and the Iraqi Parliament’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement, 233 Iraqi families comprising 812 people left Hol Camp today and returned to their country.
At the end of February this year, ministry spokesman Ali Abbas reiterated that the Iraqi government would continue its efforts to facilitate the repatriation of its citizens from Hol Camp due to ongoing security concerns in the camp and the unstable situation in Syria. Referring to the approximately 833 Iraqi families still in the camp at that time, he pointed to the detailed identity checks, including DNA tests. These checks, he said, would ensure that only persons with Iraqi citizenship would be allowed to enter Iraqi territory.
The Hol camp currently houses 13,000 Iraqi and 15,000 Syrian citizens, as well as 6,385 families of IS members. At the end of January this year, DAANES announced that it would facilitate the return of Syrian internally displaced persons currently staying in camps in DAANES areas to their original home regions. Maintaining and supplying the camps places a heavy burden on the autonomous administration. Ensuring security in Hol Camp, where families of ISIS members are housed in a special area, is a particular challenge. By repatriating its citizens, the Iraqi government wants to support DAANES in closing Hol Camp.