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ISIS Detainees.. Efforts to Return Thousands of Iraqis from Eastern Syria to Their Country
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Coordination between Iraq, the United States, and their allies reflects a commitment to address the ISIS detainees file in an organized manner that ensures the 2014 experience is not repeated
Six Iraqi officials, including a prominent political leader in Baghdad, reviewed details of a "wide-scale" security project currently being discussed between Baghdad, the Syrian Interim Government, and Ankara, under American supervision, targeting the situation of Gweiran Prison and Al-Hol Camp, which are under the administration of the Syrian Democratic Forces in Al-Hasakah Governorate, eastern Syria.
Iraq has simultaneously begun receiving the eighth group of Al-Hol Camp families, in the first transfer operation after the political change in Syria, where Iraqi institutions are transferring families to Al-Jadaa Camp, south of Mosul, to undergo psychological and social rehabilitation programs under UN mission supervision.
Estimates indicate that the number of families in the new batch exceeds 200 Iraqi families from Nineveh, Anbar, Kirkuk, and Salah al-Din governorates. Nineveh Migration Department officials confirm that it includes women, children, disabled persons, and elderly people whose security situations have been verified.
Iraqi sources reported that concerns about the consequences of any military operations targeting Syrian Democratic Forces positions in the eastern region have pushed toward accelerating this plan's implementation.
Iraq will accommodate approximately 3,000 prisoners out of the total 5,000 detainees in Gweiran, while Maghreb and Gulf countries will transfer their citizens, and the Syrian Interim Government will take responsibility for Syrian detainees.
An Iraqi security source revealed the limited time available to construct a new prison facility, indicating that their detention inside Iraq is a better option than keeping them in an unstable region.
Baghdad will accelerate the transfer of thousands of Iraqis from Al-Hol Camp during the first quarter of this year, numbering more than 20,000 people out of a total of 42,000 residents.
Turkey has given preliminary approval to establish a "security zone" on its border with Syria, including an integrated camp to accommodate the remaining residents of Al-Hol Camp, under its direct supervision until its complete dismantling.
International coalition officials are expected to arrive in Baghdad in the coming days to discuss the plan, which has the support of Iraqi officials who are driven by concerns about the collapse of the Industrial Prison if it faces any attack.
Iraqi political expert Ahmed Al-Nuaimi considers that dismantling the two facilities will constitute an important security step for Iraq and a political card for Turkey and the Syrian Interim Government.
Iraqi Deputy Minister of Migration, Karim Al-Nouri, warned that "neglecting Al-Hol Camp could lead to risks exceeding the 2014 events," confirming that "the state has initiated bold steps" to address this file.
Levant-Al-Araby Al-Jadeed
