DAMASCUS (AP) — The United Nations refugee agency reported on Sunday that a significant number of residents from Al-Hol camp, which houses family members of suspected Islamic State militants, have departed. The Syrian government has announced plans to relocate those who remain in the camp.

Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, UNHCR's representative in Syria, stated in an official statement that there has been a noticeable decrease in the population of Al-Hol camp in recent weeks. He mentioned, "Syrian authorities have informed UNHCR of their plan to relocate the remaining families to Akhtarin camp in Aleppo Governorate and have requested UNHCR's support to assist the population in the new camp, which we stand ready to provide." Vargas Llosa also emphasized that the UNHCR will continue to support the return and reintegration of Syrians who have left Al-Hol, as well as those who remain.

The organization's statement did not specify the methods by which residents left the camp, nor did it disclose the exact number of individuals still present. It is widely believed that many families escaped either during the turmoil that ensued when government forces captured the camp from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) last month or in the aftermath.

As of now, there has been no official response from the Syrian government, and a government spokesperson did not reply to requests for comment. At its height, after the defeat of the Islamic State in Syria in 2019, approximately 73,000 individuals resided in Al-Hol. The population has dwindled since then, with several countries repatriating their nationals. The camp primarily houses children and women, many of whom are the wives or widows of IS members.

Although residents of the camp are not officially classified as prisoners and have not been formally accused of crimes, they have been effectively detained in the heavily fortified facility. Syrian government forces captured the Al-Hol camp on January 21, 2023, during a protracted offensive against the SDF, which had managed the camp near the border with Iraq for nearly a decade. A ceasefire agreement has brought an end to recent hostilities.

In a related development, thousands of alleged IS militants held in detention centers across northeastern Syria have been transferred to Iraq under an agreement with the United States for trial. The U.S. military announced on Friday that it has successfully completed the transfer of more than 5,700 adult male IS suspects from Syrian detention facilities to Iraqi jurisdiction.

Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation confirmed that a total of 5,704 individuals associated with Islamic State from 61 countries have been transported from Syrian prisons. The suspects, the majority of whom are Iraqi and Syrian, are currently undergoing interrogation in Iraq.