Shafaq News / The gradual transfer of ISIS families from al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria to Iraq's Jadaa camp in southeast Mosul has raised significant concerns regarding the ideologies they might bring with them, potentially acting as ticking "time bombs" that could detonate in the future.

Al-Hol camp, meticulously guarded by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), currently shelters around 48,000 individuals, a decrease from its previous population of 73,000. This diverse population includes Syrians and Iraqis, along with hundreds from almost 60 different countries.

Iraq has been intensifying its efforts to repatriate its citizens from al-Hol camp. The most recent batch, known as the 11th wave, arrived last month in Jadaa camp, consisting of over 170 Iraqi families participating in the voluntary return program. This move follows the Iraqi government's commitment to dismantling al-Hol camp, which they have described as a potential "time bomb" fostering extremist sentiments. Iraq has called on other nations to collaborate in expediting the repatriation of their citizens from the camp.

Thousands of former ISIS members were transferred to al-Hol camp following the group's defeat in Syria in March 2019, subsequent to losing control over significant territories in Iraq and Syria.

Ticking bombs

In light of this situation, Shirawan al-Dubardani, a parliament member from Nineveh governorate, emphasized, "There is coordination between the federal government, the National Security Council, and the Ministry of Migration and Displacement with international organizations for the repatriation of Iraqis from al-Hol camp."

Al-Dubardani further elaborated, "Their numbers exceed 30,000 individuals distributed across al-Anbar with more than 18,000, Nineveh with over 8,000, and the remainder from Babil, Baghdad, Saladin, Kirkuk, and Diyala."

He added, "so far, more than 11 flights have arrived at the Jadaa camp. The statistics from the ten flights preceding the last one indicate that the total number of families leaving al-Hol camp and reaching the Jadaa camp is 1,393 families."

"There are concerns about these families, but many of them may have been victims of their husbands or brothers affiliated with ISIS." He also pointed out that "there are over 800 to 900 individuals over the age of 18, and 680 individuals below the age of 18. Some of them might have been exposed to extremist ideologies within al-Hol camp, which is why there are fears that they could become 'ticking bombs' in the future."

Earlier, Iraq's National Security Advisor, Qasim al-Araji, held a series of meetings with foreign and Arab ambassadors in Baghdad, urging them to repatriate their citizens from inside the camp, which he described as a "threat to the region."

Al-Araji also referred to the camp as a "ticking bomb" and emphasized, "there are more than 20,000 individuals below the age of 18 among those in the camp."

He stressed, "children and many women are victims, in our eastern societies, the wife follows her husband, and the children have no relation to the matter at all." He also highlighted that "Iraqis have faced terrorism, and therefore, there are remnants of terrorism that Iraq is working to address."

He confirmed that "every Iraqi outside Iraq is a son of this country, and the government seeks to preserve and protect them. Sometimes, we protect them from themselves to prevent them from adopting extremist ideologies that could lead to harming themselves and others. That is why the Iraqi government, through the collective efforts of all, formed a committee headed by the Prime Minister to receive these families."

Concerns of local experts

On the other hand, Mohammed Ghassoub Younis, the director of al-Rasd (Monitoring) Center for Political and Strategic Studies, cautioned, "There have been repeated warnings about the danger of the return of ISIS families, but successive governments have paid little attention to this matter and have not listened to the voices of the people of Nineveh."

Younis continued, "Bringing the families of ISIS members to the Jadaa camp, located south of Mosul, is a wrong choice because this area has lost many of its residents who were part of the security forces during the time of ISIS's entry into Nineveh."

"The Jadaa camp lacks the facilities to rehabilitate these returnees who have lived under the influence of ISIS for extended periods. Even a child who was born in 2014 is now seven years old. Therefore, bringing these individuals to the Jadaa camp in this manner means introducing sleeper cells that could potentially re-emerge in Nineveh."

He pointed out that "ISIS families come from various governorates, but their own cities refuse to accept them. Bringing them to Nineveh raises doubts and suspicions. Does Nineveh possess all the necessary resources to eradicate these extremist ideologies or transform these individuals, who are like ticking bombs, into productive members who can integrate into society?"

Rehabilitation programs

Ali Abbas, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Migration and Displaced Persons, confirmed, "there is a government initiative to repatriate Iraqis from northeastern Syria. In this regard, specialized security committees from the Passports and Nationality Department have begun documenting the status of these individuals. Subsequently, trips are organized in the form of batches to transport them from the camp to the Jadaa Center, where they are the focus of psychological and community rehabilitation programs."

Abbas further told Shafaq News Agency that "these individuals stay at the Jadaa Center for more than four months, during which they receive programs in various fields for all categories, including children, women, and men. They are then relocated to their areas of residence after facilitating their return and integration."

He emphasized that "the four-month period is not sufficient, but we rely on subsequent programs after integration. During the initial four months, we cannot change deviant ideologies; rather, it is merely the documentation of deviant behaviors. Ideologies can only be addressed with thought. So far, we have not witnessed cases of extremism or abnormal behavior."

He continued, "It seems that these individuals were victims of a dark phase that Iraq went through. They grew up in these forced circumstances. Therefore, as a government, we are committed to guiding them to safety and rehabilitation. The fact that most of those transferred have engaged in various trades, maintenance, computer, art, and sports workshops and excelled in them indicates that the environment they were living in was unhealthy."