An aerial photo shows the al-Hol camp in Syria. (January 21, 2026)Image: AP
Feb 25, 2026, 4:57 p.mFeb 25, 2026, 4:57 p.m
According to the government in Damascus, thousands of people recently lived in terrible conditions in the al-Hol camp in Syria.
Streets in the al-Hol camp in northern Syria.Image: AP
The camp resembles an “internment camp” in a desert where thousands of people lived “in shocking conditions,” said a spokesman for the Interior Ministry. Most recently, 23,500 people lived in the camp, many of them with chronic illnesses. There are also around 6,500 people from more than 40 other countries among the camp residents.
According to the responsible non-governmental organization SSU, the camp in northeast Syria was closed on Sunday. Around 22,000 Iraqis were relocated to their home country, which borders Syria. Representatives of the interim government had begun dismantling the camp in recent days. Before the security forces arrived, many people tried to escape through holes in the 17-kilometer-long fence and with the help of smugglers.
Children stand at the bars of the al-Hol camp. (January 21, 2026)Image: AP
Al-Hol was the largest camp for members of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. It was not officially a prison, but was often described as such by residents. Voluntary departures were not possible. There were no IS fighters there, the spokesman for the Interior Ministry in Damascus said today. However, IS is said to have had a strong influence on residents of the camp.
Women receive medication and treatment for their children at a medical center in al-Hol camp. (February 4th)Image: AP
At the beginning of the year, the Syrian interim government launched an offensive in the north and northeast of the country in order to bring the previously Kurdish-run areas of Syria under its control. Before that, al-Hol was under Kurdish control. (sda/dpa)