Syria plans to permanently close the al-Hol and Roj displacement camps, which hold over 28,000 people with alleged links to Islamic State.
DAMASCUS: Syria plans to permanently close two major displacement camps in its northeast holding civilians with alleged links to Islamic State militants.
A government official confirmed the plan on Friday to shut down the al-Hol and Roj camps.
The camps hold more than 28,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, according to the United Nations.
About 6,000 foreigners are housed in al-Hol and a further 2,000 in Roj.
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The Swiss-based Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, a charity that has worked in both camps, 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.
The SDF still holds Roj, where residents recently reported being confined to their tents as aid groups evacuated due to rising security concerns.
More than 50,000 people who fled IS’s last strongholds were once held at the two camps.
Numbers have fallen over the last decade due to repatriations, primarily by Iraq.
Among the foreigners held is Shamima Begum, a British-born woman who joined IS.
The civilian displacement camps are for families and others with alleged IS links, distinct from detention facilities that hold suspected fighters. – Reuters