Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
The United States is expected to complete the transfer of up to 7,000 detainees linked to the Islamic State (ISIS) from prisons in northeastern Syria to Iraq within days, a US official told Reuters on Thursday, as Washington and Baghdad move to prevent prison breaks following the rapid collapse of Kurdish-led forces in the region.
According to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, hundreds of detainees are being moved across the border daily, with priority given to those considered the most dangerous. The detainees include militants from multiple nationalities, among them Iraqis, other Arab nationals, and citizens of several European countries.
The US Central Command announced on Wednesday that American forces had already transferred 150 ISIS detainees from a detention facility in Syria’s Hasakah province to Iraq, citing the need to prevent escapes. The move followed growing instability after roughly 200 ISIS fighters escaped earlier this week from Shaddadi prison in Syria. Syrian government forces later recaptured many of the escapees, but the incident heightened fears about the security of detention sites.
Iraqi legal sources confirmed that the detainees transferred so far hold a range of nationalities, with Iraqis forming the largest group, alongside fighters from Arab states and citizens of countries including Britain, France, Germany, Belgium, and Sweden.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised Iraq for accepting the detainees, describing the move as critical to regional and international security. In a statement, Rubio said that non-Iraqi ISIS members would be held temporarily in Iraq and urged countries to repatriate their citizens to face justice at home. He framed the transfers as part of a long-term strategy to prevent ISIS from regrouping, emphasizing the need for burden-sharing among members of the international coalition.
Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council announced it would initiate legal proceedings against all transferred detainees in accordance with Iraqi law, regardless of nationality or rank within the organization. Iraqi officials said high-ranking ISIS leaders, including foreign nationals, would be held in a high-security detention center near Baghdad International Airport, formerly used by US forces.
The transfers come amid sweeping changes in Syria’s political and military landscape. In late 2024, opposition forces led by Ahmed al-Sharaa ousted longtime president Bashar al-Assad. The new Syrian government has since moved to reassert control over the country, including territories previously administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which had worked closely with the US since 2015 to combat ISIS.
The rapid withdrawal of the SDF from large parts of northeastern Syria this week raised alarms over the safety of prisons and camps holding ISIS detainees and their families. The United Nations announced on Thursday that it has taken over the management of sprawling camps such as al-Hol and Roj, which house tens of thousands of women and children associated with ISIS, including about 8,500 foreign nationals. UN officials said the security situation in the camps remains volatile, with reports of looting and fires, though Syrian government forces have pledged to provide protection and facilitate humanitarian access.
Iraq has called on the international community to assist in handling the detainees. Addressing the UN Security Council, Iraq’s deputy ambassador Mohammed Sahib Majid said Baghdad was acting to safeguard global security but warned that the issue should not become a long-term strategic burden borne by Iraq alone. He criticized countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens despite considering them national security threats.
US officials said Washington maintains around 1,000 troops in Syria but has signaled it has no long-term interest in maintaining a military presence there. US envoy Tom Barrack said this week that the primary mission of the SDF had largely concluded. Following Assad’s removal, President Donald Trump strengthened ties with Syria’s new leadership, lifted sanctions, and welcomed Syria’s participation in the international coalition against ISIS.
ISIS once controlled vast territories across Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017, ruling millions of people before its self-declared caliphate collapsed under sustained military campaigns by regional forces backed by the US-led coalition. Despite its territorial defeat, the group continues to pose a security threat, with officials warning that instability in detention facilities could enable its resurgence.
The ongoing transfers underscore mounting pressure on countries whose nationals are among the detainees. Families of some European prisoners have expressed concern, particularly given Iraq’s use of the death penalty, while human rights groups have long warned that unresolved detention arrangements risk fueling further radicalization and instability.
