Syria's semi-autonomous Kurdish administration aims to empty camps in the northeast of thousands of displaced Syrians and Iraqi refugees, including suspected relatives of jihadists, by the end of the year, an official said.
"The autonomous administration is working to empty the camps" of Syrians and Iraqis "in 2025... in coordination with the United Nations", Sheikhmous Ahmed, an official in the Kurdish administration, told AFP late Monday.
Kurdish-run camps and prisons hold about 56,000 people, many with alleged or perceived links to the Islamic State group, more than five years after the group's territorial defeat in Syria.
Kurdish authorities said nearly 600 Iraqis held in the notorious Al-Hol camp had returned home Sunday, while about 300 displaced Syrians were set to leave Arisha camp Tuesday.
The US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) spearheaded the military campaign that ousted the jihadists from their last scraps of Syrian territory.
Al-Hol is northeast Syria's largest camp, with more than 40,000 detainees from 47 countries, living in dire conditions.
According to 2024 figures, there were more than 20,000 Iraqis and 16,000 Syrians in Al-Hol.
An Iraqi security source told AFP that about 12,000 Iraqis had left Al-Hol camp since 2021, while around 17,000 remain.
Last month, the Kurdish administration said it would facilitate the voluntary return of residents of Al-Hol and other camps to their areas of origin.
Ahmed said some Iraqis had already left Al-Hol, while "for Syrians, the decision is still being studied".
The "return and exit mechanism" is being coordinated with the UN refugee agency and other organisations, he said, noting the "very large number" of people affected.
No solution has been found for other foreign nationals.
Ahmed said the presence of other foreigners in Al-Hol "is an international matter linked to the countries that have oversight in Al-Hol camp and also the fighters" imprisoned by the SDF.
Some countries have repatriated nationals from Al-Hol, but most "have not carried out any withdrawal", he added.
The push comes amid talks between Syria's new authorities and the SDF over the group's future, and as clashes rage in the north between the force and pro-Ankara factions.
Ahmed said the initiative was launched "after the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad" in December, noting that Syria is now "heading towards reconstruction".
The official denied recent US aid cuts were the reason for the push, adding that UN-affiliated and local organisations were still providing support and the administration was "continuing to provide services to the camps".
Human Rights Watch has warned that recent US aid suspensions could worsen "life-threatening conditions" in camps in Syria's northeast.
With AFP
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