AL-HOL CAMP, Syria (AP) — Scores of Syrian women and children linked to the Islamic State group left a sprawling camp in northeast Syria Wednesday and headed home to the eastern province of Deir el-Zour following mediation by tribal leaders.
The latest batch of people to leave al-Hol camp, which houses wives, widows, children and other family members of IS militants, came as repatriations by foreign countries have increased in recent months in an attempt to reduce the population of the facility that at its peak five years ago housed 73,000 people.
Beginning in the early hours of the day, 254 people from 69 families piled their belongings into trucks before climbing on board and moving south under the protection of members of the local U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led police force to their hometowns in Deir el-Zour.
They were the 54th group of Syrians to leave the camp over the past few years and the first in 2024, according to the camp’s director, Jihan Hanan.
An extremist group and ethnic militias committed atrocities in Mali, Human Rights Watch says
LeBron scores 30, and the Lakers avoid 1st
Teixeira scores late as Shanghai derby ends all square
Santana homers again, drives in 4, as Twins rout Angels 16
Dogs entering US must be 6 months old and microchipped to prevent spread of rabies, new rules say
Lewis Morgan's goal helps Red Bulls play Whitecaps to 1
FTSE 100 chiefs claim they are hard
WADA invites 'independent prosecutor' to examine Chinese swimmers case
Neighbour, 33, admits killing girl, 11, with poisonous gas used to kill bed bugs
Benteke scores 2 more goals as DC United beats short
What is a tornado emergency and how is it different from a warning or a watch?
FTSE 100 chiefs claim they are hard