Iraq has announced the arrival of the initial 150 Islamic State (IS) detainees from Syrian prisons. These detainees, both Iraqi and foreign nationals heavily involved in harming Iraqi civilians, were previously held by the Syrian Democratic Forces. The transfer, overseen by the international coalition combating IS, will see the detainees moved to official Iraqi correctional facilities. Further transfers will be based on ongoing security evaluations, as stated by the Iraqi authorities.
The detainees were relocated from a detention center in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure location in Iraq, according to US Central Command (CENTCOM). This transfer is part of a broader initiative that could potentially move around 7,000 IS detainees to Iraqi-controlled facilities. CENTCOM emphasized the importance of a secure and organized transfer to prevent any potential threats to US and regional security.
US and partner forces have made significant progress in combating IS, capturing over 300 members in Syria and eliminating more than 20 others over the past year. Adrian Shtuni, an associate fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism, highlighted the decline in IS’s territorial presence in Iraq and Syria by 2025. While IS once had a substantial force of up to 80,000 militants, including over 42,000 foreign fighters from various countries, current estimates suggest only 1,500 to 3,000 active fighters remain in the region, with a persistent global threat.
