The al-Hawl camp in northeastern Syria, once a holding pen for thousands of foreign families linked to Islamic State, has been largely emptied following a Syrian government takeover, raising serious security and humanitarian concerns. Most of the approximately 6,000 women and children from 42 countries previously held in the camp’s foreigners’ annexe have reportedly left for Idlib since the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) relinquished control to Syrian government forces on January 20th.
The exodus, described as “chaotic” by aid workers, leaves the fate of these individuals uncertain and fuels fears that former Islamic State members could reconstitute themselves across Syria and Iraq. The camp held a distinct section for foreign nationals, separate from the roughly 20,000 Syrians and Iraqis also residing within al-Hawl.
“All of the foreign women have escaped in this period,” said Jihan Hanan, who directed the camp until its handover to Damascus last month. She described a nightly pattern of families being transported to Idlib, though the process lacked organization. Hanan expressed personal fear for her safety, sharing a video of a former detainee vowing revenge.
The situation underscores a long-standing concern among the international community regarding the potential for mass escapes from al-Hawl and other detention facilities. The U.S. Military has recently been transferring Islamic State detainees to prisons in Iraq, reportedly aiming to complete the transfer of around 7,000 individuals in the coming days, potentially paving the way for a reduced U.S. Military presence in Syria.
Details surrounding the departures remain unclear. One camp resident, of Central Asian descent, told the Guardian she escaped by “crawling through the fence.” An NGO worker reported at least one instance of a woman crossing into Turkey, suggesting others may have followed suit, but acknowledged the lack of oversight makes tracking their movements impossible.
The Syrian government has not yet commented on the situation, previously blaming the SDF for abandoning the facility without coordination. Beatrice Eriksson, a spokesperson for the rights organization Repatriate the Children, emphasized the vulnerability of those released, stating they were being moved “in a highly chaotic context, without clarity on who is responsible or what protection measures are in place.”
Recent visits to the camp by the Guardian revealed cut fences and frequent escape attempts. Witnesses described fighters of Central Asian descent transporting women from the foreigners’ annexe, while others pleaded with guards to release their relatives. Security officers stationed outside the camp were observed responding to reports of escapes with a sense of resignation.
Many of the women expressed a desire to reach Idlib, where they believed relatives were waiting. Security personnel and fighters reportedly sympathized with the detainees, viewing their continued detention as unjust.
The future of these families remains uncertain, with questions surrounding potential repatriation – a process dependent on the consent of their home governments. Many states have resisted calls to bring their nationals back, despite pleas from Kurdish forces and humanitarian organizations who have long criticized the camp’s conditions as substandard and unlawful.
The emptying of the foreigners’ annexe represents a significant shift in the landscape of Islamic State-related detention in Syria, raising urgent questions about the security implications and the fate of those who have been released into a volatile region.
