Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria have reached an agreement with the Syrian government to begin repatriating families linked to the Islamic State from the Al-Hol camp, according to a monitoring group and Kurdish sources on Tuesday, May 27.
The agreement, announced by senior SDF official Sheikmus Ahmed, outlines the establishment of a joint mechanism to facilitate the return of “Syrian families” from the camp.
“The agreement does not include foreign fighters and their families,” Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, told DPA.
The development follows a high-level meeting involving SDF representatives, Syrian government officials, and members of the US-led international coalition, Kurdish sources said.
Farhad al-Shami, head of the SDF media center, told DPA: “There is no change in the status or management of Al-Hol camp. The Syrian Democratic Forces will continue their duties with increased intensity and ongoing support from relevant international forces.”
He added that the agreement pertains to the transfer of families linked to the extremist group who originate from government-controlled areas like Hama and Aleppo.
“This has been a longstanding demand from the SDF, but the transfer has been repeatedly delayed due to the lack of a responsible party willing to receive them,” he said, adding that the process would begin “once objective conditions are met.”
Al-Hol camp, located in northeastern Syria, currently houses around 40,000 people, mostly women and children suspected of ties to the Islamic State. The camp has long been the focus of international concern due to harsh living conditions, ongoing violence, and the potential for radicalization.
This is the first formal agreement allowing Syrians in the camp to return to government-held areas, marking a potential turning point in post-conflict reconciliation.
Until now, repatriation has been limited to Kurdish-controlled areas. This move aligns with broader discussions between the SDF and Damascus, including the potential integration of SDF forces into the Syrian army and the handover of strategic infrastructure.
A previous mechanism allowed Syrians in Al-Hol to return to Kurdish communities in the country, with reintegration centers set up for their transition.
However, this had not applied to the rest of Syria during the 13-year civil war, which ended when Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December last year following a swift rebel offensive.
The United States has long urged countries to allow the return of their citizens from Al-Hol and the smaller Roj camp, describing them as breeding grounds for extremism.
While Iraq has repatriated many of its nationals in recent years, other countries remain reluctant.
The agreement on Syrian nationals comes as part of broader efforts for closer cooperation between Kurdish authorities in the northeast and the Damascus government.
Parts of northern Syria are controlled by the US-backed SDF, which led the fight that helped defeat the Islamic State and pushed it out of its Syrian strongholds in 2019.
