The United States military has started transferring thousands of Islamic State (IS) group prisoners from detention facilities in northeastern Syria to Iraq. The Iraqi government confirmed on Thursday that the transferred individuals will face legal proceedings under its judicial authority.
The US military announced Wednesday that its forces had moved an initial group of 150 IS fighters from a prison in Syria’s Hasakeh province to a secure facility in Iraq. This transfer is part of a broader agreement that could see up to 7,000 detainees relocated. No specific timeframe for the completion of the transfers has been provided.
These prisoners were previously held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which, backed by a US-led coalition, captured thousands of suspected IS members after defeating the group territorially in 2019. The detention centers in Syria hold approximately 12,000 suspected IS members, including thousands of foreign nationals.
The decision to move the prisoners follows the SDF’s withdrawal from significant territories under pressure from Damascus. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of US Central Command, stated the transfer is “critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security.”
Analysts have noted that the ongoing instability in Syria created a risk of prison breaks, which could be exploited by IS remnants still active in the region. Heiko Wimmen of the International Crisis Group remarked that inmates’ chances of escape are likely lower in Iraq, which “has an efficient counter-terrorism structure,” compared to Syria.
Iraq’s judiciary has affirmed that all suspects transferred will be “subject exclusively to the authority of the Iraqi judiciary,” regardless of their nationality. Iraqi courts have previously prosecuted hundreds of individuals, including foreign fighters, on terrorism charges, issuing numerous death sentences and life terms.
Farhad Alaaldin, an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, told AFP that the prisoners held in Syria “pose a serious threat to Iraq’s national security” and that their transfer is intended to protect the region from potential escalation should they escape.
