Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi government decided to stop receiving Iraqi families linked to ISIS from the Al-Hol camp in Syria’s Hasakah province, a security source told Shafaq News on Friday, confirming that no new groups will be accepted at this stage.

Any future returns will require official coordination with Syrian authorities and a new agreement on the transfer mechanism, the source clarified, adding that the government will implement its decision, “unless negotiations are reopened and formal requests are submitted through approved bilateral channels.”

The decision comes as part of a broader review of procedures related to families associated with ISIS members who had been living in camps in Syria, he argued.

“Iraqi authorities seek to regulate the process under strict security and administrative measures,” the source stated, expressing that the effort aims to reassess priorities in handling this “sensitive issue,” and balancing humanitarian considerations with security requirements, particularly amid challenges related to screening and rehabilitation.

Al-Hol camp has been one of the largest sites housing displaced families and those linked to ISIS members, with their return to Iraq remaining one of the most complex issues in recent years.

The Syrian government announced on February 22, 2026, that it had evacuated Al-Hol camp and closed it permanently after transferring remaining residents to camps in the northern Aleppo countryside.