U.S. Starts Moving ISIS Detainees From Syria to Iraq

The U.S. military said it had transferred 150 Islamic State detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq and could eventually move as many as 7,000, as the Syrian government assumes control of the region from Kurdish-led forces.

The U.S. military began transferring Islamic State prisoners from northeastern Syria to Iraq on Wednesday, amid growing concern that thousands of former fighters and their family members could escape from detention as the Syrian government takes control of much of the area from Kurdish-led forces.

The U.S. Central Command, which oversees U.S. military operations in the Middle East, said in a statement that American forces had already transported 150 fighters from the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, out of a detention facility in northeastern Syria to an unspecified “secure location in Iraq.”

The military said as many as 7,000 ISIS prisoners in Syrian custody could ultimately be moved to Iraqi-run facilities. That would constitute most of the roughly 9,000 detainees still held in Syria, according to a U.S. military official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. The transfer marks a significant shift in the U.S.-backed system for detaining Islamic State fighters since the terrorist group lost the territory it held in the region in 2019.

“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 Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. military forces in the Middle East. “Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of ISIS detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security.”

Admiral Cooper spoke on Wednesday with President Ahmed al-Sharaa of Syria, briefing him on the U.S. military’s plan for an “orderly and secure transfer” of up to 7,000 detainees to Iraq, Central Command said in a statement.

Two senior Iraqi officials confirmed the start of the transfers, and said they expected that more than 7,000 ISIS prisoners, of many different nationalities, would be eventually be transferred to Iraq. They said the United States had agreed to cover the cost of jailing the prisoners, and of processing their future trials.

The decision by the U.S. military to transfer these prisoners reflects growing concern about the security of detention sites in northeastern Syria, which for years have been guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or S.D.F.

That status quo unraveled over the past week as Syrian government troops launched a lightning offensive against Kurdish-led forces, forcing the S.D.F. to relinquish control over much of its territory. Under a fragile cease-fire, the S.D.F. has agreed to hand over control of prisons and other infrastructure as part of a long-awaited deal to integrate Kurdish-held regions into the Syrian state.

But in recent days, fresh bouts of violence have erupted around prisons holding Islamic State detainees as Kurdish forces withdrew and Syrian government forces moved in. As many as 200 detainees escaped from one of those prisons, al-Shaddadi, according to the U.S. military official. The turmoil stoked fears among U.S. and regional officials of a wider prison break in northeastern Syria.

The Syrian government has taken control of Al Hol, a detention camp housing tens of thousands of family members of ISIS fighters, but said in a statement Wednesday that it was working to secure the area and “search for remaining fugitives from ISIS detainees.”

The two Iraqi officials said they would receive prisoners from al-Shaddadi and at least two other jails in eastern Syria that had been under S.D.F. control.

Despite Washington’s public support for Syria’s new president the move appeared to underscore lingering doubts in Washington about his government’s ability to ensure security. Mr. al-Sharaa has sought to project stability since his rebel coalition overthrew Syria’s dictator, Bashar al-Assad, more than a year ago, but the country has been rocked by repeated bouts of sectarian violence and seen a steady rise in attacks by remnants of the Islamic State.

The U.S. military official said the transfers were being carried out urgently — over days rather than weeks — amid concerns about whether Syrian government forces could safely manage the detainees.

Many of the Islamic State detainees held in Syria are foreigners, whose governments have long been reluctant to repatriate them, citing security concerns, legal hurdles and political opposition at home. The U.S. military’s announcement that detainees would be transferred to Iraq was likely to raise new diplomatic and legal questions for countries that have resisted taking their citizens back.

For years, the S.D.F. was Washington’s chief ally in Syria, backed by U.S. air power, funding and intelligence as the Kurdish-led militia steered the ground fight against the Islamic State. But on Tuesday, the U.S. special envoy to Syria, Thomas J. Barrack Jr., indicated that Washington no longer needed the group in that role, marking a major shift in American policy and another significant blow to the S.D.F., once the most powerful force in northeastern Syria.

As Mr. al-Sharaa moved to consolidate his authority over the whole country, the S.D.F. was the strongest militia he had to contend with. For many Kurdish leaders, the announcement confirmed long-held fears that the United States had traded its partnership with them for one with the central government.

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