Noureddin al-Baba, spokesman for Syria's Interior Ministry, speaks during a press conference in Damascus, Syria, Feb. 25, 2026. Syrian authorities said Wednesday that chaos at the detention camp al-Hol came after a sudden, uncoordinated withdrawal by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had triggered mass escapes and renewed security concerns. (Photo by Ammar Safarjalani/Xinhua)
DAMASCUS, Feb. 25 (Xinhua) -- Syrian authorities said Wednesday that chaos at the detention camp al-Hol came after a sudden, uncoordinated withdrawal by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had triggered mass escapes and renewed security concerns.
Located near the Iraqi border, the camp had held relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) fighters alongside displaced civilians.
Syrian authorities moved to enter the camp in mid-January after expanding their security presence in the northeast following a series of agreements with the SDF.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Interior Ministry spokesman Noureddin al-Baba said Syrian army units were preparing to enter the camp when SDF forces withdrew hours earlier, without prior notification to Damascus.
When the forces arrived, they found the camp had been opened in a chaotic manner, leading to widespread unregulated departures, al-Baba said.
According to al-Baba, over 138 breaches were documented along the camp's 17-km perimeter fence, which allowed large-scale movement through known smuggling routes, nearly compromising public security.
Earlier estimates placed the camp's population at about 23,500, but ground assessments after the army's entry revealed discrepancies, he said. Authorities found that women, children and the elderly comprised nearly 70 percent of those present, mostly Syrians and Iraqis, along with thousands of foreign nationals.
Al-Baba noted that indiscriminate, collective accusations had often been leveled against camp residents. He stressed that Syrian law prohibits collective punishment and requires individual criminal responsibility through the judicial process.
Before Syrian authorities took control of the al-Hol camp, international organizations and Syrian officials had warned of deteriorating humanitarian and security conditions inside the facility, which had for years been administered by the SDF.
The al-Hol camp was completely cleared and closed on Sunday, as reports confirmed that all remaining Syrian and foreign families had been relocated through organized convoys. ■
