Syria confirms mass exodus from al-Hol camp for relatives of suspected IS jihadists

The mass exodus from the IS camp al-Hol last month followed the withdrawal of Kurdish forces who had been monitoring the facility.

"When our forces arrived, they found that there had been massive escape attempts and that the camp had been opened in a disorderly manner," ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said at a press conference.

Al-Hol is the largest camp for relatives of suspected IS jihadists in northeastern Syria and has been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Last month, however, Syrian soldiers drove Kurdish forces out of large parts of northern Syria, raising questions about the fate of IS prisoners and their families.