The commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East has called on Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to support the transfer of thousands of Islamic State (IS) group prisoners from Syria to Iraq, according to a statement from the U.S. military.
In a phone call on Wednesday, Admiral Brad Cooper requested that the Syrian president “avoid any actions that could interfere” with the operation. The United States announced it is initiating the process to move up to 7,000 IS fighters across the border.
This development follows the withdrawal of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who had previously guarded the detention camps, from territory in northern and northeastern Syria now under the control of Syrian government troops.
Iraqi and U.S. officials have confirmed that a first group of 150 prisoners, consisting of both Iraqis and foreign nationals, has already been transferred.
The U.S. Central Command statement also noted that Cooper and Sharaa discussed “the importance of Syrian government forces adhering to a ceasefire” with the SDF.
The Syrian government announced a ceasefire with the SDF on Tuesday evening after the latter’s withdrawal from large areas under military pressure. While the ceasefire is mostly holding, both sides have traded accusations of violations.
