Kurdish forces withdraw from IS detention camp in north-east Syria

The Guardian - World NewsEN 5 min read 100% complete by William ChristouJanuary 20, 2026 at 06:21 PM
Kurdish forces withdraw from IS detention camp in north-east Syria

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long article 5 min

Kurdish-led forces in Syria have withdrawn from a detention camp in north-east Syria, al-Hawl, which houses tens of thousands of Islamic State-linked detainees. The US announced its withdrawal of support for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday evening, citing a "failure of the international community" as the reason for the SDF's decision to leave the camp. The Syrian government has taken control of al-Hawl, accusing the SDF of abandoning it without guards and allowing detainees to escape. The withdrawal comes as the Syrian government makes gains in northeast Syria, having lost vast swathes of territory to the SDF in just a few days. Al-Hawl was home to an estimated 24,000 people from various countries, including Syrians, Iraqis, and foreigners. The fate of the detainees remains uncertain.

Keywords

detention camp 90% kurdish forces 80% islamic state 80% north-east syria 70% al-hawl 70% sdf 60% withdrawal 50% us support 50% extremism 40%

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The Guardian - World News
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90%
Geographic Perspective
al-Hawl

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