Syria's government and Kurds reach agreement on returning families from notorious camp
Source: AP
Updated 6:36 PM EDT, May 26, 2025
QAMISHLI, Syria (AP) — Kurdish authorities in northeast Syria announced Monday they have reached an agreement with the transitional government in Damascus to evacuate Syrian citizens from a sprawling camp in the desert that houses tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to the militant Islamic State group.
Sheikhmous Ahmed, an official in the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast, said an agreement was reached on a “joint mechanism” for returning the families from al-Hol camp after a meeting among local authorities, representatives of the central government in Damascus and a delegation from the U.S.-led international coalition fighting IS.
Ahmed denied reports that administration of the camp will be handed over to Damascus in the near future, saying “there was no discussion in this regard with the visiting delegation or with the Damascus government.”
Human rights groups for years have cited poor living conditions and pervasive violence in the camp, which houses about 37,000 people, mostly wives and children of IS fighters as well as supporters of the militant group. They also include Iraqis as well as nationals of Western countries who traveled to join IS.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/syria-al-hol-camp-kurds-damascus-agreement-74b18508c1f59ce6d8072f0d459fd164