US military starts transferring Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq
- - US military starts transferring Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq
By Idrees Ali and Phil StewartJanuary 22, 2026 at 4:10 AM
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FILE PHOTO: Members of the Syrian government security forces gather after they took control of al-Hol camp following the withdrawal of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in Hasaka, Syria, January 21, 2026. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart
WASHINGTON, Jan 21 (Reuters) - The U.S. military said on Wednesday that its forces have transferred 150 Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, announcing an effort that could eventually see 7,000 detainees moved out of Syria.
The transfer comes after the rapid collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria triggered uncertainty over the security of around a dozen prisons and detention camps they had been guarding.
In a statement, the U.S. military said the United States was able to transport 150 Islamic State fighters held at a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure location in Iraq.
Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities, the statement added.
"We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS," said U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. forces in the Middle East.
Later on Monday, U.S. Central Command said Cooper spoke with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Cooper, the statement said, briefed al-Sharaa on the transfer of detainees and "expressed expectations for Syrian forces as well as all other forces to avoid any actions that could interfere."
Syria on Tuesday announced a ceasefire with Kurdish forces from which it has seized swathes of territory in the northeast and gave them four days to agree on integrating into the central state, which their main ally, the United States, urged them to accept.
The lightning government advances in recent days and the apparent withdrawal of U.S. support for SDF's continued holding of territory represent the biggest change of control in the country since rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad 13 months ago.
A U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday that about 200 low-level Islamic State fighters escaped Syria's Shaddadi prison, but Syrian government forces recaptured many of them.
There are more than 10,000 Islamic State members and thousands more women and children with ties to the group being held in Syrian prisons.
(Reporting by Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, Jaidaa Taha and Yomna Ehab; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Rod Nickel and Daniel Wallis)
Source: “AOL Money”
