Concerns rise as Iraqi government prepares to repatriate more ISIS families

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) - The process of transferring and resettling families of ISIS fighters from the al-Hol Camp in northern Syria (Rojava) to Iraq continues.

According to Iraqi media, preparations are underway to return 95 more families soon, settling them in the al-Jeddah 5 camp in the Nineveh Plain.

Mosul residents, particularly those who suffered under ISIS, are voicing concerns over the decision to return ISIS families.

Jassem Mohammed, a Mosul resident, told Kurdistan 24, “Instead of bringing back the families of the ISIS terrorists, the Iraqi government should have compensated the families of the victims. There is no household that has not been affected. Yet, these victims have not been compensated and cannot even seek to obtain what is rightfully theirs due to high costs. Rebuilding some houses may cost about four million dinars, but the government pays attention to the families of ISIS and settles them in camps. We don't understand the reason behind this attention.”

The Iraqi government and the United Nations have so far repatriated the families of detained ISIS fighters from the al-Hol camp in six stages, resettling them in the al-Jeddah 5 camp in the Nineveh Plain.

Many officials and residents see the return of ISIS families to Iraq as a threat to the province's future.

Mohammed Kakeyi, chairman of the security and defense committee of the Nineveh provincial council, stated, “The return of relatives and families of ISIS to the al-Jeddah 5 camp is a threat to the region's future. While this repatriation is a step towards reintegration into society, a child born in 2014 is now 10 years old. That means he has been exposed to extremist thought for 10 years, making it nearly impossible to reshape his mind and reintegrate him into society within a few months.”

The al-Hol Camp, located in Hasakah province in northern Syria (Rojava), holds more than 50,000 women and children of ISIS fighters. The number of Iraqi ISIS families in the camp exceeds 30,000 people.

So far, 9,000 of them have been resettled in Mosul’s al-Jeddah 5 camp. However, the camp is considered a powder keg, with fears that it could explode at any time, causing another disaster.