U.S. moves Islamic State detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq

The U.S. military began transferring Islamic State prisoners from northeastern Syria to Iraq on Wednesday, saying it had moved 150 fighters so far and that as many as 7,000 detainees could ultimately be relocated. U.S. Central Command said the 150 were transported from a detention facility in northeastern Syria to an unspecified "secure location in Iraq." Adm.

Brad Cooper, head of U.S. forces in the Middle East, said the U.S. was "closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government" and that the transfers were critical to preventing a breakout that could threaten the United States and regional security. The move followed a lightning offensive by Syrian government forces, renewed violence around prisons as Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces withdrew, and a report that as many as 200 detainees escaped from the al-Shaddadi prison, a U.S.

military official said. Under a fragile cease-fire, the S.D.F. has agreed to hand over prisons and other infrastructure as part of a deal to integrate Kurdish-held regions into the Syrian state, the Times said. U.S. officials described the transfers as urgent, to be carried out over days rather than weeks, and a U.S.

military official speaking on condition of anonymity said there were doubts about whether Syrian government forces could safely manage the detainees.

Key Topics

World, Islamic State, Syria, Iraq, Syrian Democratic Forces, Al-shaddadi Prison