A new batch of Syrian families will be evacuated from the al-Hol camp in Syria’s northeastern al-Hasakeh province.
The camp holds over 37,000 people, including families of ISIS fighters.
This is the third batch to be evacuated since a March 10 agreement between the new Syrian authorities in Damascus and the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The camp is under SDF control.
Sunday’s evacuation will mainly cover 15 families whose members suffer from chronic medical conditions, the majority of whom are women and children.
They will be evacuated to the provinces of Damascus, Aleppo and Idlib in coordination with the autonomous Kurdish authorities, Syrian government, UNHCR and other agencies.
The Syrian Center for Studies and Dialogue said the process will kick off on Sunday morning according to a “coordinated plan aimed at bolstering societal stability in the country.”
Syrian media broadcast on Saturday images of convoys of buses as they made their way from Aleppo to Hasakeh to transport the families. They were accompanied by medical teams and ambulances from the Syrian Health Ministry.
Media reports said arrangements are underway for more evacuations in the future.
The first batch of families was evacuated in June and included 42 families or 160 people. The second batch was evacuated the following month and included 36 families or around 127 people.
The al-Hol camp is one of the thorniest security and political issues facing Syria given the threat its detainees pose to the region. It is holding the families of ISIS members from around 42 countries, which are refusing their repatriation.
Washington has been pressuring Damascus to resolve this file as it is key to lifting sanctions off of it.
The camp spans over 3 square kms and is located near the Iraq border. The majority of its 37,000 detainees hail from Syria and Iraq, while 6,500 come from various countries around the world; among them are 6,300 women, widows and wives of ISIS fighters. They are held in a dedicated section of the camp with their children.
The Iraqi government has agreed with the Kurdish authorities to repatriate Iraqis from the camp in stages.
