The United Nations (UN) says it will take over management of a camp in north-eastern Syria holding holding thousands of people with alleged links to the jihadist group Islamic State (IS).
It comes after Kurdish-led forces that had been running the camp withdrew in the face of an advance by Syrian government forces, triggering unrest that forced aid agencies to suspend operations.
Residents were reported to have rushed camp perimeters in an apparent attempt to escape, prompting unrest and looting.
A ceasefire agreement has brought much of Syria's north-east under the control of Damascus, ending years of autonomous Kurdish rule.
Briefing the UN Security Council, UN official Edem Wosornu stated that the UN refugee agency UNHCR had taken over camp management responsibilities at al-Hol and was collaborating with Syrian authorities to restore humanitarian access, while Syrian forces have since established a security perimeter around the area.
However, UN spokesman Stéphane Dujarric cautioned that conditions inside remain tense and volatile, with humanitarian operations still suspended following the violence.
Meanwhile, the US has begun transferring up to 7,000 suspected IS fighters from prisons in northeast Syria to Iraq, indicating that national security threats need to be addressed on a regional level.
Iraqi authorities have confirmed that all transferred detainees will face prosecution under Iraqi law, while rights groups have raised concerns about the potential for serious human rights abuses faced by these individuals.
The situation continues to evolve as the international community grapples with the implications of managing detainee populations amid ongoing conflict and instability in the region.
