Syria moves out last residents of ISIL-linked desert camp
#al-Hol camp #ISIL #Syria evacuation #Fadi al-Qassem #Roj camp #repatriation #Hasakah province
📌 Key Takeaways
- Syrian authorities fully evacuated and shut down al-Hol camp housing relatives of alleged ISIL members
- The camp once held 73,000 people but had about 24,000 residents before evacuation including thousands of foreigners
- Syrian government took control from Kurdish authorities as it extended its reach across northeastern Syria
- The future of the smaller Roj camp remains uncertain as most foreign countries refuse to receive their citizens
📖 Full Retelling
Syrian authorities, led by official Fadi al-Qassem, completed the full evacuation and shutdown of the al-Hol camp in northeastern Hasakah province on Sunday morning, February 22, 2026, which had long housed thousands of relatives of alleged ISIL members. The camp, which had held up to 73,000 people at its peak in 2019, contained approximately 24,000 residents before evacuation, including Syrians, Iraqis, and more than 6,000 foreigners from around 40 nationalities. While residents were not technically prisoners and most had not been accused of crimes, they had been held in de facto detention at the heavily guarded facility for years. Syria's government took control of the camp from Kurdish authorities last month as Damascus extended its reach across northeastern Syria, with thousands of detainees subsequently leaving for various destinations including the Akhtarin camp in Aleppo province and repatriation to Iraq. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that some residents left individually without waiting for organized convoys, with sources indicating Syrian nationals returned to their hometowns while many foreigners traveled to government strongholds in Idlib or Aleppo governorates.
🏷️ Themes
Counter-terrorism, Refugee crisis, Syrian civil war
📚 Related People & Topics
Islamic State
Salafi jihadist militant organisation
The Islamic State (IS), also known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), and the Daesh, is a transnational Salafi jihadist militant organisation and a former unrecognised quasi-state. IS occupied significant territory in Iraq and Syria in 201...
Entity Intersection Graph
Connections for Islamic State:
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Syria
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Australia
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Syrian War
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Prison
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Detention center
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Original Source
News | ISIL/ISIS Syria moves out last residents of ISIL-linked desert camp Official Fadi al-Qassem says all residents have left al-Hol camp, which long housed relatives of alleged ISIL members. Listen to this article | 3 mins By AFP and AP Published On 22 Feb 2026 22 Feb 2026 Click here to share on social media Share Save Syrian authorities say they have fully evacuated and shut down a remote camp that once kept thousands of relatives of alleged members of the armed group ISIL . The last residents were sent out in a convoy Sunday morning, according to Fadi al-Qassem, the Syrian government official overseeing the camp. Recommended Stories list of 4 items list 1 of 4 US is withdrawing all 1,000 troops from Syria: WSJ report list 2 of 4 Several assassination attempts targeted Syria’s al-Sharaa, ministers: UN list 3 of 4 US says over 5,700 suspected ISIL detainees relocated from Syria to Iraq list 4 of 4 What will it take for Syrians to return to Aleppo after years of war? end of list “All Syrian and non-Syrian families were relocated,” al-Qassem told Agence France-Presse. Al-Hol, located in a desert region of the northeastern Hasakah province, had long kept huge numbers of relatives of suspected ISIL fighters. At its peak in 2019, the camp held some 73,000 people. Last month, there were about 24,000 residents, mostly Syrians but also Iraqis and more than 6,000 other foreigners of around 40 nationalities. While the camp’s residents were not technically prisoners and most have not been accused of crimes, they had been held in de facto detention at the heavily guarded facility for years. Last month, Syria’s government took control of the camp from Kurdish authorities, as Damascus extended its reach across northeastern Syria . Since then, thousands of its detainees, including family members of suspected ISIL members, have left for unknown destinations. Hundreds have been sent to the Akhtarin camp in Aleppo province, while others have been repatriated to Iraq. The Syrian Ob...
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