925 families return from Al-Hol camp in Syria to Iraq
Women and children in the Al-Hol refugee camp. Photo: Sputnik
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displaced announced on Saturday that 925 families returned from Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria to Iraq, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The Ministry confirmed that the rehabilitation process of the returnees is ongoing successfully with the participation of 11 organizations, INA reported.
The Undersecretary of the Ministry of Migration and Displaced, Karim Al-Nouri, explained that the 925 families returned from the refugee camp arrived in the city of Mosul, the capital of Nineveh governorate.
“Around 80 percent of these families returned to their homes after completing the rehabilitation process with the participation of more than 11 organizations,” Al-Nouri said.
“A few days ago, 158 families arrived from Al-Hol camp, an estimated 650 people,” Al-Nouri elaborated.
“We found that the returned families quickly integrated into their new community, and this encouraged us to accelerate the process after consultations and agreements with the residents of the area to be reassured about their return,” Al-Nouri clarified.
According to the United Nations, around 56 thousand people live in this refugee camp.
In addition to foreign families of militants, estimated at about 10 thousand people, the camp also shelters families of displaced Syrians and Iraqis, some of them are still in contact with ISIS.
The overcrowded refugee camp of Al-Hol is less than 10 kilometers away from the Iraqi borders.