ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq— Iraq says it has repatriated over 14,500 women and children linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria since 2021, with the repatriations occuring in 24 distinct batches.

The latest repatriation, numbering 680 individuals, took place on March 29.

“The total number of families returned from a-Hol camp… since 2021 has reached 3,751 families, equivalent to approximately 14,513 individuals,” Ali Abbas, spokesperson of Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement, told state media on Tuesday.

The transfers are usually done via buses provided by the Iraqi government, with US forces escorting the repatriates until they reach the Iraqi border.

“The process of returning families to their homes takes place after rehabilitation for a period ranging from four to six months, according to the specific requirements of each case, so that they can return to their areas,” Abbas said.

Iraq’s efforts to repatriate its citizens from Syria’s al-Hol camp, a complex hub housing families linked to ISIS alongside refugees, are mired in severe financial shortfalls and multifaceted security challenges.

This issue led the Ministry of Migration and Displaced Persons to propose halting repatriation operations due to a lack of allocated funds, especially following the cessation of American aid that had supported these efforts.

In February, Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said in addition to families, around 3,000 Iraqi "terrorists" have also been brought back from northern Syrian prisons.

Located in the Hasakah province in northern Syria, al-Hol is one of the largest camps, hosting approximately 40,000 displaced people from nationalities, including families of Iraqi, Syrian, and foreign ISIS militants.

Iraq and the UN have an agreement to return Iraqi nationals from Syria’s al-Hol camp by 2027.

Local Kurdish authorities repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camp, but to no avail. The camp management has said they would shut down camps in northeastern Syria this year.