Kurdish-led authorities say up to 15,000 Syrians could be moved out of the overcrowded Al Hol camp in north-east Syria which holds displaced people and families of ISIS fighters.
Kurdish fighters seized much of northern and eastern Syria from ISIS with US backing and have held thousands of militants in prisons, while their wives and children – numbering tens of thousands, many of them foreigners – are living in camps.
Al Hol camp alone houses nearly 65,000 people, including about 28,000 Syrians, 30,000 Iraqis and about 10,000 other foreigners, according to UN estimates. Kurdish officials have long called for more support to contain the ISIS prisoners and their families. Riots and breakouts from the camp are common.
"A decision will be issued to empty the Syrians from the camp completely," said Kurdish leader Ilham Ahmed in a video published by the Syrian Democratic Council, the political arm of the Kurdish-led SDF forces holding the region.
"Those who want to remain in the camp, this would not be the responsibility of the administration."
Unicef said in August that eight children had died in Al Hol, where it said children from 60 countries were languishing and Covid-19 infections among camp workers had worsened conditions.
Badran Jia Kurd, a vice president of the Kurdish-led authority that runs the SDF region, said some Syrians had already left the camp and that the process would be speeded up.
He cited a need to reduce the burden on the camp and step up measures to curb security incidents which he said had risen.
Kurdish leaders have repeatedly cautioned that the ISIS fighters and their families pose a security threat and that they cannot detain the foreigners indefinitely, but foreign governments have hesitated to repatriate their citizens.
The United States said last week that all known Americans allegedly supporting ISIS and being held in Syria had been returned, some to face criminal charges. It urged European countries to account for their citizens.
Mr Jia Kurd said that of the estimated 28,000 Syrians in the Al Hol camp, about 15,000 were from the mainly Arab areas of Raqqa and Deir Ezzor, which the SDF captured from ISIS, and would be able to return if they chose to.
Many of the rest may not be able to leave if they have nowhere to go or do not want to return to territory under Syrian state rule, he said.
Hans-Jakob Schindler, director of think tank the Counter Extremism Project, said there could be a major security risk with the movement of Syrians from Al-Hol.
He warned that any radicals who are tempted to flee the camp could join the majority of Syrian migrants and head to Europe.
“There are a significant amount of Syrians in Al-Hol who did not de-radicalise - if anything they re-radicalised and will come out with a new furore in their ideological thinking,” he said.
Describing such individuals as “extremely dangerous”, Mr Schindler added: “They pose a major threat to Europe.”
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Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
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Chatham House Rule
A mark of Chatham House’s influence 100 years on since its founding, was Moscow’s formal declaration last month that it was an “undesirable
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The depth of knowledge and academics that it drew on
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The institute is more used to accommodating world leaders,
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