Iraq repatriates over 180 families from Syria’s al-Hol camp

Shafaq News/ Over 180 Iraqi families were repatriated from Syria’s al-Hol camp to Iraq’s Nineveh province on Saturday, in the latest phase of Baghdad’s ongoing return program.

The transfer, which included 186 families of 681 individuals, marked the seventh repatriation operation since the start of 2025 and the 24th overall, according to Shukri al-Hajji, head of the camp’s departure office. “This year’s goal is to return all Iraqi families willing to go back, in coordination with the Syrian Democratic Administration and the Iraqi government,” he told Shafaq News.

Roughly 20 buses transported the group through the al-Yarubiyah border crossing, east of al-Hasakah. The convoy was accompanied by tight security, including surveillance and air support from US Global Coalition helicopters and fighter jets to ensure safe passage.

Ali Abdullah, head of Iraq’s National Committee for Implementing the Strategy to Combat Violent Extremism, said last week that al-Hol still houses approximately 16,000 Iraqis, noting that Iraq’s al-Jada'a camp continues to receive returnees, and authorities are working to support their reintegration.

Iraq has been working with international organizations since 2021 to return its citizens from al-Hol. Families are first brought to the al-Jada'a camp for psychological and social rehabilitation before returning to their home communities — a process that has triggered recurring opposition, particularly in Nineveh, where families of ISIS victims have expressedconcern.