US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on Monday commended Iraq for repatriating nationals, affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), from northeast Syria (Rojava), according to a statement by the Department of Defense. 

Iraq has repatriated thousands of ISIS-linked people from Rojava in recent years, including fighters from the group who were detained by the Kurdish forces. 

A top Iraqi military delegation recently arrived in the US, meeting with Austin on Monday. Both sides discussed a range of topics, including the fight against ISIS. 

“Secretary Austin expressed his appreciation for Iraq's commitment to reducing the number of detained ISIS fighters and displaced persons in northeast Syria, and encouraged the Iraqi delegation to continue repatriating, rehabilitating, reintegrating, and, where appropriate, prosecuting Iraqi nationals residing in northeast Syria,” said a readout from the Pentagon Press Secretary Pat Ryder.  

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein told US officials in June that Baghdad had returned around 3,000 ISIS-affiliated Iraqi fighters detained in Rojava, trying most of them. These fighters were arrested by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

Al-Hol camp is located in northeast Syria’s Hasaka province and houses over 50,000 ISIS-linked people. The camp has infamously been branded a breeding ground for terrorism, with authorities describing it as a “ticking time bomb,” saying the situation in the camp is “very dangerous.” A large number of these people are Iraqis. 

Kurdish and American officials have repeatedly called on countries to repatriate their nationals from Syria but only a few have responded positively. 

Iraq moved many of the returnees to al-Jada 5 camp in Nineveh. However, its closure earlier this year was condemned by the United Nations.