First Syrian Government Visit to al-Hol Marks Step Toward National Reconciliation
While no concrete outcomes were immediately announced following the visit, officials on both sides expressed cautious optimism that this renewed cooperation could open the door to broader reconciliation and stability across Syria’s fractured northeast.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — A delegation from Syria’s new government visited the infamous al-Hol camp in northeast Syria for the first time since the fall of the Assad regime, holding meetings with representatives of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration and international coalition members, according to statements reported by the local Kurdish authorities, in the West of Kurdistan, in northern Syria.
The visit, which took place on Saturday, marks a significant shift in relations between Damascus and the Kurdish-led administration. According to Sheikhmous Ahmed, deputy head of the Office for Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons in the Autonomous Administration, the delegation’s visit was aimed at discussing the development of a mechanism to repatriate Syrian families currently housed in the sprawling and overcrowded al-Hol camp.
The initiative was echoed by Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nouraddin Baba, who confirmed during a press conference that the visit was part of a broader effort to resolve the humanitarian and security crisis at al-Hol, which remains one of the most volatile displacement camps in the region.
The visit comes just weeks after a landmark March 11, 2025, agreement between the Syrian President, Ahmed al-Sharaa, and Mazloum Abdi, Commander of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The agreement sought to unify civil and military institutions under the Autonomous Administration with the Syrian state, and one of its key provisions included the repatriation of all Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) to their hometowns and villages.
Al-Hol camp, located in the southern outskirts of al-Hasakah province in northeast Syria, currently holds tens of thousands of people, including families of suspected ISIS fighters. The camp is under the control of the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration and guarded by the SDF. Humanitarian organizations and international military leaders, including U.S. Central Command, have repeatedly warned that the camp is a potential breeding ground for extremism, where children are being indoctrinated by radical ideologies passed down by their mothers.
The visit by the Syrian government is seen as a tentative but critical step toward resolving this crisis and reintegrating displaced Syrians, especially those from ISIS-affiliated families, back into society—a move fraught with political, social, and security implications.
While no concrete outcomes were immediately announced following the visit, officials on both sides expressed cautious optimism that this renewed cooperation could open the door to broader reconciliation and stability across Syria’s fractured northeast.
