Syria to close camps housing thousands linked to Islamic State

Jan 30 (Reuters) – Syria plans to permanently close two displacement camps in the northeast that hold civilians, including foreigners, linked to Islamic State militants, a government official said on Friday.

The al-Hol and Roj camps hold more than 28,000 people, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, according to the U.N. About 6,000 foreigners are housed in al-Hol and a further 2,000 in Roj.

A charity that has worked in both camps, the Swiss-based Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, told Reuters it understands Damascus aims to empty and shut the sites within a year.

Syrian forces recently took control of al-Hol after the chaotic withdrawal of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF still holds Roj where residents had in recent days reported being confined to their tents as aid groups evacuated due to rising security worries.

More than 50,000 people who fled IS’s last strongholds as the group lost territory over the last decade were once held at the two camps. Numbers have fallen due to repatriations, primarily by Iraq.

Among the foreigners held is Shamima Begum, a British-born woman who joined IS.

The civilian displacement camps are for families and others with alleged IS links, distinct from detention facilities that hold suspected fighters.

(Reporting by Feras Dalatey in Damascus; Additional reporting by Olivia Le Poidevin in Geneva; Writing by Enas Alashray; Editing by Aidan Lewis and Andrew Cawthorne)