Damascus, Syria - Al-Hol, Syria’s largest Islamic State (IS) camp, is now largely deserted. Of the roughly 24,000 prisoners who called it home a few weeks ago, only a few thousand remain.
The government had announced in January that it intended to close both Al-Hol and Roj camps, which contain the European families who joined IS, though few expected it to happen so quickly.
Events seem to have outpaced the government’s plans. Its security services failed to properly secure the camp amid growing unrest, fuelled by unsubstantiated rumours that management would be returned to the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The SDF, which ran the camp for almost a decade, withdrew in January amid the government’s offensive in the northeast, leaving Damascus to impose security over the camp.
Chaos and escapes
According to a source from an international NGO with knowledge of the camp, who asked to remain anonymous, over the last two weeks, there has been a steady stream of escapes, facilitated by smugglers, lax security, and sympathetic guards.
It has also been reported that foreign fighters aligned with the government were openly removing their compatriots from the camp, unchallenged by government forces charged with maintaining security of the site.
The New Arab was in Al-Hol just a day after the government assumed control of the camp, and witnessed widespread chaos, with prisoners having set fire to many of the camp's healthcare facilities.
Women and children were leaving the camp through gaps in the fence of the foreigners' annexe, and in the section for Syrian nationals, many individuals were pleading to be allowed to leave.
Several claimed that they had relatives who were with the ‘Free Army,’ a common epithet for the HTS-led opposition to Bashar Al-Assad.
The New Arab did not witness any members of the security services allowing the prisoners out, although many apologised and spoke of how they hoped the prisoners would be allowed to leave in the future.
A senior source in the government security services told The New Arab that “there had been a period of chaos” in the camp, but as of Saturday, “the situation has been brought under control”.
That might be explained by the fact that, as of Saturday, the camp had been largely emptied, except for a few thousand people - mostly Iraqis - who have nowhere to go.
The government is intending to move these last prisoners to a new camp in Aleppo province in the next few days, according to the government source. However, what will become of the thousands of other individuals who left the camp is unknown.
Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the representative for Syria from the UN’s refugee agency, said in a statement that they have observed a “significant decrease” in the number of residents in Al-Hol camp in recent weeks.
“Syrian authorities have informed UNHCR of their plan to relocate the remaining families to Akhtarin camp in Aleppo Governorate and have requested UNHCR’s support to assist the population in the new camp, which we stand ready to provide,” he said.
Many of the foreigners have already begun to leave the country. Last week, a Belgian national who had been in the camp attempted to return to Belgium but was arrested on arrival.
Thirty-four Australian women and children left the Roj camp on Monday for Damascus, from where they plan to return to Australia. A Bosnian woman who spoke to The New Arab said, “I left the camp, and am waiting for my country to take me from here.”
Her sister has been in contact with the Bosnian government, which is preparing the paperwork to repatriate them. “I live in safety and freedom. I am very comfortable now,” she said.
She didn’t reveal where exactly she is situated now, but reports suggest that large numbers have made their way to Idlib and northern Aleppo.
One of the key unknowns from this whole episode is the degree of the Syrian government’s involvement. The aid source seemed incredulous that tens of thousands of people could be moved across the country from one of the country’s most sensitive sites without the government being aware.
A previous mass Islamic State escape from Al-Shaddadi prison resulted in the government launching “a precise and organised” search and sweep operation to recover the escaped prisoners.
Yet, regarding the recent escapes from Al-Hol, the government has been uncharacteristically silent.
Western capitals have also been largely silent on the issue so far, and with the issue politically toxic in many countries, it remains to be seen which governments will be willing to repatriate their citizens.
The UK’s Office for Syria told The New Arab that they “continue to engage the Syrian government about these developments”.
They added that “we are aware that there are British nationals in northeast Syria,” but they declined to comment on the cases or plans for any future repatriations.
Security risks
The camps have long been “incubators of radicalisation and future recruitment,” according to Alexandre Zouev, the UN Acting Under-Secretary-General for Counter-Terrorism, and many foreign governments will be concerned about the potential security risk that unsanctioned returns pose.
Others, unwilling to run the gauntlet of returning home and the possible prison sentence that it might carry, may decide to settle down in Syria. Idlib already hosts a significant contingent of foreign nationals.
Yet, this may pose a danger for the government, which has now become the main security partner in the US-led global anti-IS coalition.
The Islamic State attempted to assassinate President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and senior ministers on five different occasions last year, meaning the presence of a large population of IS sympathisers in the government’s Idlib heartland could pose serious challenges.
Yet, it is equally clear that what had been the status quo for years, of fetid prison camps holding women and children who have not been charged with any crime, was equally unworkable going forward.
Once again, as during the massacres on the coast and in Suweida, it appears that the government has not been able to prevent its own security agencies from acting outside of their official remit, which is likely to be a source of considerable embarrassment for Damascus.
Cian Ward is a journalist based in Damascus, covering conflict, migration, and humanitarian issues
Follow him on X: @CP__Ward
Edited by Charlie Hoyle