Syrian troops enter the Al-Hol detention camp housing relatives of suspected Islamic State fighters after Kurdish forces withdrew to defend northern cities.
AL-HOL: Syria’s army entered the vast Al-Hol detention camp on Wednesday, according to an AFP journalist at the scene.
The correspondent saw a large number of soldiers open the camp’s metal gate and enter, while others guarded the entrance.
The camp holds around 24,000 people, including 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 foreign women and children of 42 nationalities.
Kurdish forces announced on Tuesday they had been “compelled to withdraw” from the camp to defend cities in Syria’s north threatened by the army.
The Syrian defence ministry said Tuesday it was ready to take responsibility for Al-Hol camp “and all IS prisoners”.
An agreement between the two sides stipulates the Syrian state becomes responsible for IS prisoners.
The Syrian army deployed on Monday across vast parts of northern and northeastern Syria from which Kurdish forces had withdrawn.
Syria’s interior ministry said it was taking necessary measures to maintain the security of Al-Hol.
The camp is the largest for suspected jihadists established by Kurdish forces, who spearheaded the fight against IS.
Thousands of former jihadists are held in seven prisons, while tens of thousands of their family members live in two camps in northern Syria.