U.S. Transfers Thousands of ISIS Prisoners to Iraq From Syria

The military’s Central Command said it had completed the transfer of some 5,700 Islamic State prisoners to jails in Iraq from custody in Syria. The transfers, conducted under Operation Inherent Resolve, could ultimately move as many as 7,000 detainees — most of the roughly 9,000 held in Syria.

Iraqi officials said the United States agreed to cover the cost of jailing the prisoners and processing their future trials. Adm. Brad Cooper said, "We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security," and Maj.

Gen. Kevin J. Lambert described the operation as helping to prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria. The moves mark a significant shift in the U.S.-backed system for detaining Islamic State fighters since the group lost territory in 2019. The decision reflected growing concern about the security of detention sites in northeastern Syria, long guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Iraq, Syria, northeastern Syria

isis prisoners, islamic state, inherent resolve, central command, iraq, syria, kurdish-led, detention sites, detainees, future trials