Al-Jada’a camp: Another version of al-Hol camp, or a rehabilitation center for ISIS families?

Shafaq News/ merely hours after the arrival of the convoy transferring about 100 ISIS families from the Syrian al-Hol camp to al-Jada’a camp in Nineveh, news emerged that some families had fled, according to a statement by former MP Vian Dakhil. However, it seems that the government has another opinion.

A security source in Nineveh told Shafaq News agency that the 10-bus convoy had arrived in al-Jada’a camp in the south of Mosul, and the agency in charge of the camp's management had begun allocating families to pre-prepared tents in the camp supervised by IOM and funded by the "Ministry of Immigration and Displaced".

Shafaq News agency obtained information from sources in charge for this file confirming that Al-Jada’a camp is not a final destination, i.e., the families will remain there only until further notice. The camp is more like a rehabilitation station for some of these families in preparation for reintegration into society after making sure they do not carry precipitates of extremist ideologies.

Meanwhile, an informed source in the Department of Immigration said that more than 30,000 members of ISIS fighters' families are still al-Hol camp.

A security source revealed that a joint security committee from all state security agencies, including the National Security Service, the Federal Intelligence, and the Military Intelligence, has a huge database and checks the names of those transferred to identify those who still have active links to ISIS.

"Nineveh’s security services are concerned that ISIS would exploit these families to produce the third generation of terrorism after Al-Qaeda and ISIS. If the Iraqi government insists on integrating these families into society again – which is inevitable, the security services will have a big task to follow these families that will melt like snow and blend in society.”

Speaking of community rejection, political activist Saad Al-Wazzan stated, "We are facing a crucial stage with terrorism, and the Iraqi government must provide appropriate conditions and work seriously to prevent sleeper cells from exploiting these families again, and the Iraqi government must rehabilitate those who can be rehabilitated and preserve those deeply affected by the extremist ideology. They are like time-bombs, and any mistake in dealing with them will lead to disastrous consequences.”

Nineveh MP, Sherwan al-Dobardani said in a statement to Shafaq News agency that these families were transported without a clear mechanism to determine their fate, “Will these families remain in camps and produce an extremist generation after a year or two? or will they be integrated into society, which poses a great danger, as they may be a new seed of terrorism if ISIS succeeds in exploiting them again? especially those who still have full convictions of hard-line thinking.”

"Today, this issue has become a fait accompli imposed by the Iraqi government without any clear mechanisms. This drew our concern and refusal to moving families and setting up an Iraqi version of al-Hol camp,” he added.

Al-Dobardani revealed, "Another group will arrive any day now. Buses arrived in Syrian two days ago to transport 97 families.”

"The Iraqi government continues to bring ISIS families, and they amount to 500 families in the first phase. Official approvals are issued allowing the transfer of these families." 

Nineveh Governor Najm al-Jubouri stated that this group of families is not linked to ISIS members. They are families who migrated to Syria because of the war and ended up in the al-Hol camp.