Iraq submits file on notorious ISIL camp to UN

BAGHDAD

The Iraqi government has submitted a file to the United Nations concerning the notorious ISIL-linked al-Hol camp in Syria, urging countries to repatriate their nationals.

The YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) currently control al-Hol, which houses tens of thousands of people connected to the ISIL terrorist organization. While thousands of foreigners remain in the camp, Iraq has repeatedly called on countries to take back their citizens to facilitate its eventual evacuation.

“The file submitted to the U.N. will be transformed into a draft resolution,” said Ali Jehangir, spokesperson for Iraq’s Migration and Displaced Persons Ministry.

He added that once the file is converted into a resolution, it will be put to a vote and subsequently implemented.

The submission follows a conference on the al-Hol camp held in New York on Sept. 26 at Iraq’s request, with participation from the United States.

Since 2021, Iraq has begun repatriating the families of ISIL members from al-Hol. So far, 18,000 Iraqi citizens have been brought back, leaving fewer than 5,000 Iraqis still in the camp.

Currently, more than 30,000 people, including suspected foreign terrorist fighters and their relatives, are detained at al-Hol and other nearby facilities. Most are women, and approximately 60 percent of the population in these facilities are minors, primarily under the age of 12. Foreign nationals number around 8,500, representing more than 62 countries.

Following their repatriation from al-Hol, Iraqi families of ISIL members are first relocated to the Cedaa camp in Nineveh before being sent to their home regions.

According to Baghdad, all remaining Iraqi citizens in the camp are expected to be repatriated by the end of this year.

In May, Damascus and the SDF reached an agreement to evacuate Syrian nationals from the camp.