Terrorism
Hundreds of Iraqis repatriated from Syria's al-Hol camp
Returning Iraqi citizens are undergoing psychological rehabilitation before returning to their hometowns, or facing trial for their crimes.
![Iraqi women repatriated from Syrian camps receive counseling in preparation for a return to their original areas of residence in Iraq. [Hands of Mercy Association]](/gc1/images/2024/06/28/46878-Iraqi-women-returnees-600_384.webp)
By Anas al-Bar |
More than 2,000 Iraqi families have been repatriated from al-Hol camp in Syria to date as part of a government program to bring Iraqi citizens home, including those linked to the "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria" (ISIS).
The repatriations from the Kurdish-run al-Hasakeh province camp began in 2021, in batches, with a 16th group of Iraqi nationals returning home in early June, Iraqi officials said.
About 170 families returned, along with 50 members of ISIS, AFP reported.
Most of the returnees, the majority of whom are women and children, hailed from the Iraqi provinces of Anbar, Salaheddine and Ninawa.
![Iraqi women stand at the entrance to al-Jadaa camp near Mosul on March 10, after they were repatriated from Syria. [Raad Hashim X account]](/gc1/images/2024/06/28/46879-jadaa-camp-iraq-600_384.webp)
The latest round of repatriations comes amid continued warnings that al-Hol, where some residents still embrace the ideology of ISIS, could turn into an incubator for terrorism.
Al-Hol, which houses thousands of families, many of whom are linked to ISIS, is a "heavy burden" for the camp administrators, security analyst Fadel Abu Ragheef told Al-Fassel.
"What Iraq is trying to do today is alleviate that burden by moving its citizens out of the camp and resettling them" in their home country, he said.
Psychological rehabilitation
Iraqi families returning from al-Hol are first sent to al-Jadaa camp near Mosul for rehabilitation. Here they receive psychological care and support, before they are resettled in their communities of origin, Abu Ragheef said.
Returning families must undergo months of psychological rehabilitation before they gain permission to return to their original communities.
Iraqi officials say that more than half of the returnees have resettled in their areas of origin without any violent incidents reported.
Iraq's Ministry of Migration and Displacement provides shelter and financial support to families returning from Syria, ministry official Ali Abbas Jahangir told Al-Fassel.
Once rehabilitated at al-Jadaa, women and children return voluntarily to their communities, after meeting all the conditions for their return, he said.
Repatriations also extend to Iraqi nationals who belong to ISIS and are detained in prisons in Syria run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Hundreds of these detainees have been repatriated and turned over to the Iraqi judiciary to be tried on terrorism charges.