Iraq reintegrates over 120 families after repatriation from Syria's al-Hol camp

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – More than 120 families have been reintegrated in five Iraqi provinces following their recent repatriation from Syria's al-Hol Camp, Iraq's National Security Advisory announced on Friday. 

The families received the required rehabilitation from the Al-Jad'ah camp's psychiatric center in the Nineveh province town of Qayyarah, Iraq's National Security Advisory told the state-run Iraqi News Agency. 

After rehabilitation, the 127 families were returned to their respective home provinces of Anbar, Baghdad, Diyala, Kirkuk, and Mosul. 

Iraq's Ministry of Displacement and Migration and other security authorities supported the rehabilitation process, the advisory announced. 

Iraq recently repatriated over 450 families from al-Hol.

The notorious camp is located in the northeastern Syrian province of Hasakah. Thousands of suspected ISIS affiliates have resided there since the destruction of the group's self-styled caliphate in early 2019. It has at least 58,000 residents, primarily Iraqi and Syrians, and a significant number of other nationalities.

The United Nations Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI) described the situation in the al-Hol as a "ticking bomb" since a significant number of its residents, particularly children, are at risk of becoming exposed to ISIS's extremist ideology. 

In February, UNAMI also hailed Iraq's repatriation efforts, saying other countries should follow Baghdad's example.