A British woman and three children linked to ISIS were repatriated from the al-Hol and Roj camps in Syria and handed over to a U.K. delegation. The Kurdish authorities did not disclose their names, only stating that they were held at Roj camp before the handover. This move is part of ongoing efforts to repatriate individuals associated with the militant Islamic State group from the camps in northeastern Syria, which house tens of thousands, primarily wives and children of ISIS militants, as well as supporters of the extremist group.
The handover took place on Wednesday when a delegation led by Britain’s Special Representative for Syria Ann Snow visited northeastern Syria to discuss the ongoing threat posed by ISIS, even years after the extremist group lost control of large parts of Iraq and Syria. Elham Ahmad, the co-chair for foreign relations in the regional Syrian Kurdish administration, emphasized the need to find radical solutions to address the problem of terrorism. She also called for thousands of ISIS members and suspects held in jails in northeast Syria to face justice for their crimes.
In 2014, ISIS declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria, attracting tens of thousands of supporters from around the world. The militant group was ultimately defeated by a U.S.-led coalition, first in Iraq in 2017 and then in Syria in 2019. Following their defeat, tens of thousands of individuals linked to ISIS were taken to the al-Hol camp near the Iraqi border. Over the past five years, approximately 30,000 people, mostly Iraqis and Syrians, have been repatriated from the camp, with more than 2,000 individuals still held at the Roj camp.
Earlier this month, the United States repatriated 11 of its citizens from the al-Hol and Roj camps, marking the largest group taken out of the two facilities to date. In addition, in May, over 200 Syrians were repatriated from al-Hol to their hometowns in Syria’s eastern province bordering Iraq. The repatriation efforts aim to address the ongoing threat posed by ISIS and provide justice for those individuals associated with the extremist group, ensuring that they face accountability for their actions. The regional Syrian Kurdish administration continues to work with international partners to repatriate individuals from the camps and address the ongoing challenges posed by terrorism.
