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Syria Closes Al-Hol Camp After Final Convoy Departs

Rights groups warn transferred suspects to Iraq face acute risks of abuse and unfair trials.

Overview

  • Syrian official Fadi al-Qassem said the last buses left on Sunday, with authorities declaring the site emptied and shut.
  • US intelligence estimates that roughly 15,000 to 20,000 people left the camp during the security collapse following the government takeover.
  • Hundreds were relocated to the Akhtarin camp in Aleppo province, and UNHCR assisted returns that included 191 Iraqi nationals.
  • The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that many departed outside organized convoys, with Syrians heading to hometowns and some foreigners moving toward Idlib or Aleppo governorates.
  • About 5,700 suspected IS detainees were transferred from Kurdish-run prisons to Iraqi custody, drawing Human Rights Watch warnings over potential disappearance, torture and unfair proceedings.