ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The spokesperson for the Iraqi migration ministry on Thursday told Rudaw that about 2,000 families have been repatriated to Iraq from northeast Syria’s (Rojava) al-Hol camp over the years.
“Until now, through 14 batches, around 2,000 families numbering about 8,000 individuals, have been repatriated from al-Hol camp and the repatriation process will continue,” Ali Abbas, spokesperson for Iraq’s ministry of migration and displaced, told Rudaw.
The families will first be transferred to Nineveh’s al-Jada camp for rehabilitation before they’re sent back to their homes, according to Abbas.
Al-Hol camp is located in northeast Syria’s Hasaka province and houses over 50,000 ISIS-linked people. The camp has infamously been branded a breeding ground for terrorism, with authorities describing it as a “ticking time bomb.” The camp residents come from around the world, but the bulk are Syrian and Iraqi.
Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji earlier this month said that around 20,000 Iraqis below the age of 18 are still at al-Hol, describing them as “time bombs for the future.”
Iraq has repatriated thousands of ISIS-linked people from Rojava in recent years, including fighters from the group who were detained by the Kurdish forces. United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in August commended Baghdad for repatriating nationals.
Kurdish authorities in the region have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camps, but their calls have largely gone unanswered as most countries are unwilling to bring back their nationals due to security concerns.
Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom on Wednesday said that Stockholm will not be offering aid to repatriate nationals from Syria camps, stressing that the remaining Swedes in Syria had over the years been given the opportunity to return to the country but had repeatedly refused.
“Sweden has no legal obligation to act for these individuals to be brought to Sweden. This applies to women, children and men," he told AFP.