Fewer than 1,000 families remain at Al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, the camp's former director said on Wednesday, after thousands of residents fled last month as government forces took control of large parts of the region previously held by Kurdish-led fighters.
Al-Hol, located near the Iraqi border, was one of the principal camps housing relatives of people suspected of fighting for Islamic State, many of whom were detained during the U.S.-backed offensive against the group in Syria. Control of the area shifted last month when government forces under President Ahmed al-Sharaa seized wide swathes of the northeast from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), including several detention facilities holding Islamic State fighters.
The U.S. military said last week it had completed an operation to transfer 5,700 adult male Islamic State detainees to Iraq, a separate but related movement of detainees following the changes in control across the region.
Jihan Hanna, the camp's former director who continues to work with international agencies and coordinate with the Syrian government, told Reuters that the families remaining at Al-Hol are Syrian nationals and are being moved to a camp near Aleppo. She added that most of the camp's foreign nationals had fled.
The Syrian government did not immediately reply to requests for comment on the situation at Al-Hol or on the transfers Hanna described.
Official camp statistics obtained by Reuters, dated January 19 - a day before the government took control of the camp - listed the population at 6,639 families, comprising 23,407 people, predominantly Syrians and Iraqis. Those figures also recorded 6,280 foreign residents from more than 40 nationalities.
UNHCR and access restrictions
The U.N. refugee agency, UNHCR, said it had observed "a significant decrease in the number of residents in al-Hol camp in recent weeks," while cautioning that there were no confirmed figures for the population remaining in the camp. In a statement to Reuters, the agency said that over a recent weekend the camp administration had advised UNHCR not to enter the site because of the "unrest and anxiety in the camp."
Accounts of the withdrawal and departures
The Syrian government accused the SDF of pulling out of Al-Hol on January 20 without coordination. The SDF, in a statement issued that same day, said its forces had been "compelled to withdraw from al-Hol camp and redeploy to areas surrounding cities in northern Syria that are facing increasing risks and threats."
A Syrian government security source said most people left the camp during a five-hour period when the site was unguarded, adding that some residents departed with men who came to take relatives to unknown destinations. Both that security source and a source from a non-governmental organisation working at the site reported that the annex - the section of the camp that held its most dangerous residents - was empty.
The security source said those who escaped had dispersed across Syria and that security authorities, working with international partners, had set up a unit to "follow up on the matter and pursue those who are wanted." The source also said some of the escapees had left Syria.
In Lebanon, the army has questioned more than a dozen Lebanese nationals who crossed the border illegally from Syria after leaving Al-Hol, according to a Lebanese security source.
Separately, the Syrian government's Directorate of International Cooperation said on Tuesday that hundreds of people - mostly women and children - had been moved from Al-Hol to a newly prepared camp near the town of Akhtarin in northern Aleppo.
Summary
Al-Hol camp, once a significant detention and displacement site near the Iraqi border, has seen a dramatic reduction in population following a change in control of the surrounding territory. Authorities and aid agencies report large-scale departures, movement of some families to new sites in Aleppo, and ongoing efforts by security forces and international partners to locate people who left the camp.
Key points
- Fewer than 1,000 families remain at Al-Hol, with thousands having fled last month after government forces seized control of the area from Kurdish-led fighters.
- Camp population figures from January 19 recorded 6,639 families (23,407 people) plus 6,280 foreigners from more than 40 nationalities; UNHCR reports a significant decrease but has no confirmed updated totals.
- Security and humanitarian responses are active: transfers to a newly prepared camp near Akhtarin have taken place, and security units have been formed to follow up on individuals who left the camp.
Risks and uncertainties
- Uncertain population figures - UNHCR has not confirmed current numbers inside Al-Hol, complicating humanitarian planning and aid delivery. This affects humanitarian agencies and relief logistics.
- Security concerns around unguarded periods and dispersed escapees present risks for domestic security forces and regional border security operations, particularly for authorities tracking individuals who left the camp.
- Transfers and movements of large numbers of vulnerable people, including hundreds moved to Akhtarin, create logistical and protection challenges for displaced persons and for agencies responsible for shelter and basic services.
Tags: Syria, Al-Hol, IS, refugees, security