After the intervention of Arab tribal mediators in 2020, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) agreed that any Syrians held in the internment camps run by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) could leave, provided their identities were verified and they returned to their original localities.
While the internment camps were ostensibly designed to hold those affiliated with ISIS, the efforts to clear ISIS from various areas resulted in a mass exodus of families seeking to avoid the conflict. Many of these families ended up in the SDF-run detainment camps and were detained on suspicion of supporting the terror group.
Although tribal elders negotiated the release of any Syrians held in the camps three years ago, the releases have been delayed due to “security” concerns, including the attacks on SDF detention centers holding ISIS prisoners in January 2022.
On Monday, the first batch of this year and the 32nd group since 2020 was cleared to leave the Hol Camp east of Hassakeh. The group consists of 61 families, totaling 225 individuals, predominantly women and children from Raqqa, Manbij, and Maskana in the countryside of Aleppo. Hol Camp still detains over 18,000 Syrians awaiting clearance to return to their homes, as they have been detained for nearly four years.
