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'We're happy to return to our homes' - 240 Iraqi families depart Syria's Al-Hawl Camp as part of latest repatriation efforts

'We're happy to return to our homes' - 240 Iraqi families depart Syria's Al-Hawl Camp as part of latest repatriation efforts

"A total of 240 Iraqi families left Al-Hawl Refugee Camp in the northwestern Syrian city of Hasakah on Monday, after years of living in the facility. Footage shows refugees standing near the camp's exit gate as they completed departure procedures. A bus was also seen parked outside to transport the departing families. "Life was very difficult here. We lived in tents and most of the children were illiterate and had no education. Today, we are happy to be returning to our homes," Iraqi refugee Ayman Nawwar remarked. "We hope the Iraqi government will speed up the paperwork so that everyone can return to their families safely. We also hope that they will help those whose homes have been destroyed or damaged," he added. Shukri al-Hajji, Head of the Return Office at Al-Hawl Camp, said that 240 families comprising 859 people were scheduled to be repatriated in this batch. He added that the remaining Iraqi families, around 3,500 people, are expected to be repatriated within the next two or three months. The move follows the Iraqi government's 2021 decision to repatriate Iraqi families from Al-Hawl ahead of the camp's eventual dismantling. Iraq's Ministry of Migration and Displacement said that about 19,000 people have already returned from the camp, including men, women, and children. The ministry noted that 78 rehabilitation programs have been implemented to help returnees reintegrate into their communities and reduce social tensions, according to state media reports. Al-Hawl Camp houses tens of thousands of residents of various nationalities, mostly families of ISIS members. After the group’s defeat in 2019, approximately 40,000 relatives of its fighters were relocated there."