Syrian authorities have confirmed a mass escape from the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria last month, following the withdrawal of Kurdish-led forces. The camp, which housed families linked to the Islamic State group, saw thousands potentially flee amid the chaotic handover.
Chaotic Withdrawal Sparks Exodus
Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Nureddin Baba stated that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew from the camp without coordination with the Syrian government or the US-led coalition against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIS.
This led to more than 100 breaches in the camp’s perimeter wall, facilitating smuggling and unregulated departures. Baba noted that the exact number of escapees requires further verification.
The SDF rejected the ministry’s statements as misleading and aimed at evading responsibility. It accused Damascus-affiliated factions of entering the camp and removing families of ISIS members.
“In the face of this deliberate escalation, and amid suspicious international silence, our forces were forced to withdraw in order to avoid turning the camp into an open battlefield,” the SDF said.
The withdrawal followed a military attack and mobilisation by Damascus targeting the camp and its surroundings, according to the SDF.
In January, the SDF had cited international indifference to ISIS and the failure of the global community to address the issue as reasons for pulling out.
Security Concerns Mount
An internal memo to European Union member states expressed worries that thousands of people, the majority of the camp’s residents, may have escaped. An EU official confirmed this to CNN, noting the status of third-country nationals who fled remains unclear.
The Wall Street Journal, citing US intelligence agencies, reported that 15,000 to 20,000 people, including ISIS affiliates, are now at large in Syria. CNN has not independently verified this figure.
The United Nations indicates that al-Hol camp held more than 30,000 people.
An aerial view shows al-Hol camp in a desert region of Syria’s Hasakah province, on January 21, 2026.
Questions arose over the fate of thousands of Islamic State prisoners and their families in northeastern Syria after government forces seized territory previously controlled by Kurdish forces guarding the facilities.
Earlier escapes occurred from al-Shaddadi Prison, which the SDF said held thousands of ISIS prisoners.
The SDF, long a partner of Washington in Syria, faced pressure following the US drawdown in 2019, the fall of the Bashar al-Assad regime in late 2024, and the rise of Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa.
The SDF accused the coalition of failing to intervene against advancing government-allied forces.
US Central Command completed a 23-day mission earlier this month to transfer more than 5,700 ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraqi custody, aiming to ensure secure holding and reduce the risk of an ISIS resurgence.
Lingering Risks and Repatriation Issues
ISIS emerged from remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq and once controlled about a third of Syria, with Raqqa as its capital. The SDF, with US-led coalition support, declared the total liberation of Raqqa in 2017.
The group was largely defeated in 2019, though some elements operate clandestinely in Syria and Iraq. Following the Assad regime’s fall, warnings emerged that ISIS could exploit the chaos for a comeback.
In November, Sharaa joined the US-led anti-ISIS coalition, with his forces continuing to pursue the group.
Pressure has grown on countries like Australia, the United States, and Britain to repatriate thousands of citizens, mostly women and children, trapped in Syrian detention camps since the fall of ISIS’s self-proclaimed caliphate more than five years ago.
More than half of al-Hol’s population were children, many under 12 years old.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese stated last week that his country will not repatriate citizens linked to Islamic State members. This followed reports that 34 Australian women and children were turned back by Syrian authorities after leaving the al-Roj camp.
Many governments remain reluctant due to national security concerns and domestic opposition. The al-Roj camp also houses Shamima Begum, the London schoolgirl who joined ISIS at 15 in 2015 and later lost her British citizenship.
