Iraqi authorities are preparing to repatriate over 500 nationals from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, an Iraqi lawmaker revealed on Monday. The camp, located in Hasaka province, houses individuals with alleged links to the Islamic State (ISIS).

“This will be the 18th batch of returnees, totaling over 500 people. They will arrive at the al-Jada rehabilitation camp in southern Mosul in the coming days,” a member of Iraq’s parliamentary committee for migration affairs told Rudaw English on the condition of anonymity.

Since repatriation efforts began, 10,142 individuals—comprising 2,640 families—have been brought back from al-Hol. Of these, 2,350 families, totaling 8,710 people, have left the al-Jada camp and returned to their homes in Sunni-majority provinces such as Nineveh and Salahaddin, regions that fell to ISIS in 2014.

Sheikhmous Ahmed, head of the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) office for internally displaced persons and refugees, confirmed that the Iraqi families have already left al-Hol camp and are being prepared for return.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the upcoming repatriation on Sunday.

Al-Hol camp, holding approximately 40,000 people with ties to ISIS, has been described by security experts as both a humanitarian disaster and a breeding ground for terrorism. Iraq repatriated over 700 nationals from the camp in October.

In addition, Iraq recently facilitated the return of over 200 nationals from Ankara-controlled areas in northern Syria through the Ibrahim Khalil border crossing, which connects the Kurdistan Region to Turkey.

Meanwhile, Iraq’s main border crossing with Syria, al-Qaim, has remained closed since December 8 following the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. It was briefly reopened for humanitarian purposes and to facilitate the return of Syrian soldiers who had sought asylum in Iraq.

This latest round of repatriations underscores Iraq’s ongoing efforts to address the complex challenges posed by ISIS-linked displacement and reintegration.