Syrian authorities said Wednesday that a wave of mass escapes took place from the al-Hol camp in the country’s northeast after government forces moved in earlier this year, uncovering "shocking” conditions and more than a hundred breaches in the perimeter.

Syrian officials said thousands of people fled the al-Hol camp in recent weeks amid clashes between Syrian government forces and the terrorist PKK/YPG-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), raising renewed concerns in an area long scarred by Daesh’s presence.

Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba told reporters in Damascus that security units recorded 133–138 breaches along a 17-kilometer stretch of the camp’s outer barriers after forces entered the site on Jan. 21. He said the openings allowed for "mass escape” attempts, with smuggling networks also playing a role.

Located near the Iraqi border, al-Hol once housed around 23,500 people, roughly 70% of them women, children and elderly civilians. Most were Syrians and Iraqis, while 6,500 others from 44 different countries were also present. Although the residents were not technically prisoners, they had spent years in de facto detention under difficult conditions.

Al-Baba said the camp suffered from severe neglect and lacked basic infrastructure, describing what authorities found as "shocking.” Army engineering teams secured the area before Interior Ministry personnel deployed inside the facility.

Officials said many residents have since been transferred to Akhtarin camp in Aleppo province, where humanitarian agencies can more easily provide assistance, education and rehabilitation. Others have been repatriated to Iraq. The Foreign Ministry is in contact with governments regarding citizens from third countries.

While emphasizing that women, children and the elderly are "not criminals because of family links,” al-Baba said anyone proven to have committed crimes will face judicial action. He added that authorities are tracking individuals who fled during the clashes and that most have already been located and returned.

The government’s decision to empty al-Hol came amid a broader push to secure the north and northeast. Once the largest site holding families of Daesh terrorist members, al-Hol had experienced years of instability, escape attempts and worsening humanitarian conditions.

Al-Baba said Damascus will approach the issue with "respect for human dignity and the fair application of the law,” stressing that the priority is to protect vulnerable people and restore order.