Iraq Starts Repatriating ISIS Families from Al-Hol

A general view of al-Hol camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria. (Reuters)
A general view of al-Hol camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria. (Reuters)
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Iraq Starts Repatriating ISIS Families from Al-Hol

A general view of al-Hol camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria. (Reuters)
A general view of al-Hol camp in Hasakah, northeastern Syria. (Reuters)

Iraqi MP Sherwan Aldubardany said that a number of ISIS families from Al-Hol camp arrived in Mosul, northern Iraq, amid mounting concerns that some ISIS family members could be a “time bomb" that jeopardizes the country’s security.

In his statements on Wednesday, Aldubardany said that secured buses were sent by the Ministry of Migration and Displaced to transfer the families to the south of Mosul through Sinjar.

For his part, Iraqi MP Ahmed al-Jabouri described transferring the ISIS family members from Syria to Iraq as a “disaster”.

Jabouri told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that this move is a time bomb, reiterating previous warnings of the dangers of this decision.

Available data shows that up to 100 families will arrive in Iraq, out of 30,000 Iraqi persons present in the camp.

The camp hosts various nationalities, including Iraqis from several provinces such as Nineveh, Anbar, Babel, Kirkuk, Salaheddine, and Diyala.

In the same context, strategic expert, Dr. Moataz Mohieddin told Asharq Al-Awsat that the camp has tens of thousands of displaced. A great number of them are Iraqi women and children, he stressed.

There are up to 40,000 Iraqis and around 10,000 families from different origins in the camp who live amid an poor security and lack of international supervision.



Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says

People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
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Israeli Strike Hits Civilian Sites Near Damascus, Syrian Ministry Says

People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)
People gather near a damaged building after, according to Syrian state media reports, several Israeli missiles hit a residential building in the Kafr Sousa district, Damascus, Syria February 21, 2024. (Reuters)

An Israeli strike from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights targeted civilian sites south of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing some damage, Syria's defense ministry said on Monday.

Earlier, Syrian state media SANA said that initial reports indicated the strike hit the Sayeda Zeinab area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military did not comment on the strike.

Sayeda Zeinab, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and site of a major Shiite shrine, has been targeted in previous strikes.

Syrian and Western intelligence sources say Israeli attacks in Syria have killed numerous Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militia fighters based around the eastern outskirts of Damascus and to the south of the city.

The sources say the neighborhood remains a target due to the presence of high-ranking militia leaders.

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years. It has ramped up strikes since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by armed group Hamas on Israel and particularly since the recent escalation of the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.