Iraq repatriates more families from Al Hol camp

Iraq has repatriated morethan 150 additional families from Al Hol camp in neighbouring Syria, an Iraqi security official said on Thursday, the latest such transfer from the camp where many have alleged militant links.

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Kurdish-run camps and prisons in northeastern Syria still hold about 56,000 people from dozens of countries, many of them the family members of Daesh suspects, more than five years after the militants’ territorial defeat in Syria.

While many Western countries refuse to take back their nationals, Baghdad has taken the lead by accelerating repatriations and urging others to follow suit.

The latest group of 505 people is the sixth since the beginning of the year to be repatriated. They left the camp on Wednesday, said Jihan Hanan, Al Hol's director.

About “153 families arrived yesterday” in Iraq, the Iraqi security official who spoke on condition of anonymity confirmed to AFP.