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5d ago

Syria Sets Plan to Close Al-Hol and Roj Camps Within a Year as State Reclaims Control

Rising radicalisation leaves thousands in limbo as repatriations stall.

Two women walk among tents at Roj camp, one of the detention facilities holding thousands of Islamic State group members and their families, in the al-Malikiyah area of northeastern Syria, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)
Detainees gather at al-Hol camp after the Syrian government took control of it following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
Women wait to enter a building supplying food and other goods at Roj camp, one of the detention facilities holding thousands of Islamic State group members and their families, in the al-Malikiyah area of northeastern Syria, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)
Two girls stand at Roj camp, one of the detention facilities holding thousands of Islamic State group members and their families, in the al-Malikiyah area of northeastern Syria, Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad)

Overview

  • A Syrian official told Reuters the government will permanently shut the Al-Hol and Roj sites, with a charity saying Damascus aims to empty them within about a year.
  • The United Nations estimates the two camps hold more than 28,000 people, including roughly 6,000 foreign nationals in Al-Hol and about 2,000 in Roj.
  • Syrian forces have taken control of Al-Hol after the SDF withdrew, while Roj remains under SDF administration pending transfer under a ceasefire framework.
  • Aid groups have scaled back operations at Roj over security concerns, and camp staff report Islamist slogans, rising hostility, and recent child deaths.
  • The U.S. has begun moving male IS detainees from northeastern Syrian prisons to Iraq, yet there is no clear plan to repatriate most women and children, including residents such as Shamima Begum.