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ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq's ministry of immigration and displacement confirmed on Monday the repatriation of over 12,500 Iraqi nationals linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) from the notorious al-Hol camp in northeast Syria's (Rojava) Hasaka province.
The ministry spokesperson Ali Jahangir told Rudaw that 21 convoys of ISIS fighters' relatives 'have been returned from al-Hol, where 3,062 Iraqi families currently reside, totaling more than 12,500 members."
Most of the repatriated individuals are being temporarily housed in al-Jada camp in Iraq's northern Nineveh province for rehabilitation and reintegration into their communities, according to Jahangir.
The ministry spokesperson also mentioned that around 15,000 Iraqi nationals linked to ISIS remain in al-Hol camp, awaiting repatriation. The process is being conducted with coordination between the Kurdish-led administration in Rojava and the Iraqi government.
In late January, Baghdad announced plans to repatriate all its nationals residing in camps for people with links to ISIS in northeast Syria, based on an agreement with the United Nations.
Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the 40,000 ISIS-linked individuals at the al-Hol, which has been described as a breeding ground for extremism and terrorism.
The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked division in Iraq. Some communities and tribes are opposed to accepting ISIS-linked individuals and their families, citing the group's brutal human rights violations during its rise in 2014 and subsequent fall in 2017.
Others argue that reintegration should be considered for families of ISIS members, especially those who were not directly involved in severe crimes.
Hastyar Qadir contributed to this article.
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