Damascus, Syria – The U.S. Embassy in Syria has reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to supporting the voluntary return of displaced Syrians from camps in northeastern Syria to their original communities.
Al-Hol refugee camp is located on the southern outskirts of the town of al-Hawl in northern Syria, close to the Syria-Iraq border, which holds individuals displaced from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
In a post on the social media platform “X,” the embassy announced that 42 Syrian families, totalling 178 individuals, left Al-Hol camp on June 15 to return to their hometowns.
The embassy noted that these returns were made possible through the cooperation of the United States, Al-Hol camp administration, local authorities under the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria, and civil society partners.
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On Tuesday, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Dorothy Shea reiterated the need for countries to urgently repatriate their nationals who are detained in Syria for their affiliation with ISIS, along with their families residing in Al-Hol and Roj camps.
Last Saturday, Sheikhmus Ahmed, head of the Office for Displaced Persons in the Autonomous Administration, said that 43 additional Syrian families are scheduled to leave Al-Hol camp soon. In comments to +963, Ahmed confirmed that the operation is coordinated with the Syrian transitional government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Ahmed emphasized that the families selected for release were classified as humanitarian cases requiring medical care and special assistance. He clarified that the coordination with the Syrian government and UNHCR is focused on facilitating reception and reintegration procedures in the areas to which these families are returning.
However, he noted that no decisions have yet been made regarding the return of displaced persons from other regions of Syria still residing in Al-Hol, due to the absence of a formal agreement with the Syrian government regarding their repatriation.
Ahmed added that the Autonomous Administration is preparing to release another group of displaced persons soon, focusing again on humanitarian cases. The selection and release process, he stressed, is independently managed by the Autonomous Administration based on humanitarian assessments, while the Syrian government’s role is limited to receiving and facilitating the return of these families without participating in the selection or decision-making process.
