Humanitarian groups long warned that camps in north-east Syria holding families of suspected Islamic State (IS) members were a “ticking time bomb.” Over 8,000 women and children from 40+ countries have been stranded there since 2019. This week, some began returning home. A Belgian woman charged with IS membership travelled from Turkey to Belgium. An Albanian woman kidnapped as a child in Syria smuggled herself to Turkey and sought travel papers. These camps, mainly al-Hawl, held about 25,000 suspects’ families, 6,000 being foreigners. Analysts say the camp bred extremist ideas and raised a new generation of IS members. Harsh winters led to deaths by asphyxiation due to indoor coal burning. After the Syrian government took control from Kurdish forces recently, camp residents started leaving. Family and smugglers help move people to Idlib province, a known Islamist hub. Relatives of 34 Australian women and children tried to return home via Damascus but were stopped for lacking prior approval. Damascus treats the camp as a child protection issue, unlike the previous strict Kurdish-led regime. The new camp has wifi and open doors instead of armed guards. Many governments refused repatriation for years, ignoring the growing crisis. Now, returns are chaotic and risky, raising fears of renewed IS recruitment, trafficking, and exploitation. A foreign woman escaped al-Hawl but was kidnapped in Idlib, her family lost contact. Many women want to leave Syria after years in terrible conditions. Managing their return will be harder now than before. Pressure mounts to free those still in camps like al-Roj, home to UK-born Shamima Begum and others. Countries like the UK stripped Begum’s citizenship and refused repatriation, but delaying options are shrinking fast.