The Syrian army entered the Al-Hol camp in Hasakeh province on Wednesday after Kurdish forces, who previously guarded the facility, withdrew from the area, according to an AFP journalist on site.
Soldiers were seen opening the camp’s main gate and deploying inside while others secured the perimeter. The move comes a day after Kurdish forces announced they were “compelled to withdraw” from the camp to defend cities in northern Syria from army advances, prior to a ceasefire announcement.
The Al-Hol camp is the largest detention facility for families of suspected Islamic State (IS) members in Syria, holding approximately 24,000 people. This includes 15,000 Syrians and around 6,300 foreign women and children from 42 different countries.
An agreement between the Syrian government and the Kurdish administration stipulates that the Syrian state will now be responsible for all IS prisoners and their families held in such camps. The Syrian defence ministry confirmed on Tuesday its readiness to take full responsibility for Al-Hol and its occupants.
The Syrian interior ministry issued a statement affirming that it was taking all necessary measures to maintain security within the camp.
For years, Kurdish forces led the campaign against IS with support from an international coalition, culminating in the group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019. Thousands of former IS fighters are held in prisons, while their families are housed in the Al-Hol and Al-Roj camps.
