Iraq appreciates Dutch decision to return women, children from Al-Hol camp
Children playing in the Al-Hol refugee camp. Photo: Sputnik
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – The Iraqi National Security Adviser, Qassim Al-Araji, stated on Wednesday that dismantling the Al-Hol camp is an essential step to dry up the human source of terrorism.
Al-Araji praised the Dutch government’s decision returning women and children from the Al-Hol refugee camp.
“We highly appreciate the decision of the Dutch government to return 28 children and nine women from the Al-Hol refugee camp in Syria,” Al-Araji said via Twitter.
Al-Araji also called the rest of the countries to return their citizens from the refugee camp to stop spreading hatred, extremism and crimes.
Al-Araji confirmed that dismantling the Al-Hol camp is also important to let peace prevail between people and countries.
The overcrowded refugee camp of Al-Hol is less than 10 kilometers away from the Iraqi borders.
According to the United Nations, more than 55 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.
In 2014, the terrorist group of ISIS took control of large areas in Iraq and Syria before it was defeated in 2017.