Most foreign families of Islamic State (ISIS) members have left the Al-Hol camp in eastern Syria following the withdrawal of Kurdish-led forces that had managed the facility, humanitarian sources and witnesses told Agence France-Presse (AFP) on Thursday.

Al-Hol, one of the region’s largest displacement camps, previously housed around 24,000 people, including approximately 15,000 Syrians and about 6,300 foreign women and children from 42 countries. Many of those countries have refused to repatriate their nationals.

A humanitarian source told AFP that the section designated for foreign nationals is now “almost empty” after Kurdish forces withdrew from the camp in late January. Control of the area was subsequently transferred to Syrian security forces, which have expanded their presence across parts of northern and eastern Syria previously under Kurdish administration.

The security transition follows an agreement between Kurdish authorities and the Syrian government providing for the gradual integration of military and administrative structures in Hasakah province.
Reports of Departures

Another humanitarian source said that since last Saturday, only about 20 families remain in the “muhajirat” section, the area reserved for foreign nationals, which had previously been heavily guarded and housed women and children from Russia, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The source added that “a large number” of residents had been smuggled to Idlib and other provinces, while a smaller number moved into areas designated for Syrian residents within the camp.
A humanitarian worker in Syria told AFP that it was clear many individuals, including foreigners, had left the camp, though no official figures were yet available.

According to sources and witnesses cited by AFP, a portion of Syrian residents, more than 15,000, as well as over 2,200 Iraqis previously held at the camp, have also departed.

Conflicting Accounts

A source from the camp administration under Syria’s Interior Ministry told AFP that authorities are still conducting a census of remaining residents and did not confirm any escapes.
“If there were any departures, the responsibility lies with the SDF, which withdrew before the handover process was completed,” the source said, referring to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
AFP said it reviewed video footage showing largely deserted streets in the camp’s market area, which is typically crowded.

A witness inside the camp told AFP that armed men were seen escorting veiled women out of the facility following the Kurdish withdrawal and the takeover by government forces.

Al-Hol has long been viewed as a major security and humanitarian concern, housing families of suspected ISIS fighters after the group’s territorial defeat in Syria in 2019.
The developments come amid shifting control dynamics in northeastern Syria and renewed debates over the fate of thousands of foreign nationals linked to ISIS.