Syria to close camps housing thousands linked to Islamic State

A Syrian government official announced on Friday that the country plans to permanently shut down two displacement camps in the northeast, which house civilians, including foreigners, connected to Islamic State militants.

According to the U.N., the al-Hol and Roj camps are home to over 28,000 people, most of them Syrians and Iraqis. Around 6,000 foreigners live in al-Hol, with another 2,000 in Roj.

A charity that has worked in both camps, the Swiss-based Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, told Reuters it understands Damascus aims to empty and shut the sites within a year.

Syrian forces recently took control of al-Hol after the chaotic withdrawal of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF still holds Roj where residents had in recent days reported being confined to their tents as aid groups evacuated due to rising security worries.

More than 50,000 people who fled IS’s last strongholds as the group lost territory over the last decade were once held at the two camps. Numbers have fallen due to repatriations, primarily by Iraq.

Among the detained foreigners is Shamima Begum, a British-born woman who joined ISIS..

The civilian displacement camps are for families and others with alleged IS links, distinct from detention facilities that hold suspected fighters.