The U.S. military on Wednesday began transferring Islamic State detainees held by Kurdish forces in northeastern Syria to secure facilities in Iraq, marking a significant shift in the region’s security architecture as Syria’s government consolidates control. Under an agreement, detainees are being transferred from Hassakeh province to Iraq, with plans to eventually relocate as many as 7,000 people held in Syrian detention camps.
The transfer reflects a major geopolitical realignment in Syria, where the U.S.-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are ceding security responsibilities to the government following a ceasefire agreement that is expected to eventually integrate Kurdish forces into the Syrian military.
The Transfer Begins
U.S. Central Command said the transferred detainees were described by officials as high-level commanders and operatives considered highly dangerous. The Iraqi army said it received the first batch and confirmed that detainees will be interrogated and tried. An Iraqi intelligence general told the Associated Press that the transferred detainees include approximately 240 Tunisians in addition to others from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, and Syria. He said that in previous years, 3,194 Iraqi detainees and 47 French citizens were transferred to Iraq.
According to U.S. Central Command, facilitating the transfer is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security. A CENTCOM spokesperson said the commander had urged Syrian forces during a call with Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to adhere to the ceasefire and to “avoid any actions that could interfere” with prisoner transfers.
A Geopolitical Realignment
The transfer reflects a major reorganization of security responsibilities in Syria. The U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, a Kurdish-led coalition that played a major role in defeating the Islamic State, are withdrawing from territory and security roles as the Syrian government reasserts control following the fall of the previous regime.
The SDF still controls more than a dozen detention facilities holding around 9,000 Islamic State members. Under a peace agreement announced in recent weeks, these facilities are to be handed over to government control as the SDF is eventually integrated into Syrian military forces.
The transition has been contentious. Government forces seized a prison in the northeastern town of Shaddadeh on Monday, and Islamic State detainees escaped during the handover, though many were recaptured. Clashes between government and Kurdish forces broke out as Syrian troops took control of the sprawling al-Hol camp.
On Wednesday, a drone attack near the town of Yaaroubiyeh killed seven soldiers and wounded 20 as they inspected a weapons depot abandoned by SDF fighters, according to Syria’s Defense Ministry, which blamed the Kurdish forces. The SDF said the blast was triggered by soldiers moving ammunition. The two sides announced a new four-day truce late Tuesday after a previous ceasefire broke down.
The Camp and Its Residents
The al-Hol camp houses approximately 24,000 people, most of them women and children. At its peak in 2019, the camp held some 73,000 people. The population has since declined as some countries repatriated their citizens.
Among the residents are about 6,500 people, many of them loyal Islamic State supporters, who came from around the world to join the extremist group and are held separately in a secured section.
Residents interviewed by the Associated Press described deteriorating conditions since SDF fighters withdrew. An Iraqi woman living in the camp said there are “no clinics, no running water, no bread and no vegetables” and called on authorities to repatriate her. Another camp resident called for the release of family members held in jails in northeastern Syria.
The Islamic State Threat
The Islamic State was defeated in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019, but the group’s sleeper cells continue to carry out deadly attacks in both countries. The U.S. military said it detained more than 300 Islamic State operatives in Syria last year and killed over 20. An ambush last month by Islamic State militants killed two U.S. soldiers and one American civilian interpreter in Syria.
Syria’s Foreign Ministry welcomed the transfer of detainees, calling it “an important step to strengthen security and stability.”