The US military's Central Command on Wednesday launched a mission to move ISIS detainees from north-eastern Syria to Iraq, a stunning development that comes after Kurdish forces rapidly lost ground in clashes with Syrian government forces.
The prisoners had for years been guarded at several jails by the Syrian Democratic Forces, but Damascus has in recent days seized much of the land once held by the Kurdish-led troops.
Clashes on Monday and Tuesday around SDF-controlled prisons holding ISIS fighters raised security concerns after reports that some of the prisoners had escaped during the fighting.
The SDF said on Tuesday it was “compelled to withdraw” from Al Hol camp, home to many female relatives of ISIS fighters, after “violent clashes” with fighters loyal to Damascus.
The US transfer mission began with the transport of 150 ISIS fighters held at a centre in Hasakah to a “secure location” in Iraq, Centcom said.
Centcom added that “up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities”.
“We are closely co-ordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS,” said Admiral Brad Cooper, head of US Central Command.
“Facilitating the orderly and secure transfer of ISIS detainees is critical to preventing a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security.”
The office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani said on X that the country "has agreed to Iraq's receipt of terrorists of Iraqi nationality and other nationalities".
"The first batch of them has already been received, comprising 150 terrorist elements from Iraqis and foreigners, among those who have waded through the blood of innocent Iraqis," the statement read, noting that the extent of future transfers is still to be determined.
Mr Al Sudani, meanwhile, visited the Iraqi-Syrian border that extended from Al Qaim in Anbar province to Sinjar in Nineveh.
The conflict between the SDF and Damascus has been raging for weeks, with skirmishes breaking out after months of stalled negotiations over the integration of Kurdish authorities into the Syrian state.
The SDF guards at prisons and detention camps holding more than 10,000 ISIS fighters and thousands more women and children with ties to the group abandoned their posts amid the advance of government troops. The two sides announced a new four-day ceasefire on Tuesday evening.
Charles Lister, a renowned Syria expert and senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, said he had not anticipated the US military getting directly involved.
“I didn't see it coming,” he said. “Up until 36 hours ago, the only focus that the US military had on the ground, physically, was getting the SDF and Damascus to co-ordinate the handover of these facilities.
Admiral Cooper later spoke to Syrian President Ahmad Al Shara and "discussed the importance of Syrian government forces adhering to" the ceasefire with the SDF.
"The leaders also reaffirmed continued strong commitment to the enduring defeat of ISIS in Syria," Centcom said in a statement.
What happened at Al Hol shows how quickly things can become dangerous if they are not co-ordinated, Mr Lister added, noting that the transfer of prisoners to Iraq signals the US has little confidence the ceasefire between Damascus and the SDF will hold.
He also noted that Iraq will now have to bear an “enormous burden” by housing the prisoners, with their cases likely taking years to adjudicate.
Al Shaddadi prison was the site of an escape of about 120 ISIS prisoners, although Syrian government forces have since taken control of the facility and tracked down most of the escapees.
The SDF accused the US-led anti-ISIS coalition of failing to come to its aid after it was pushed out of much of the territory it once controlled.
Freezes to US aid last year resulted in SDF camp guards not being paid, though the funding for the salaries was eventually pushed through.
On Tuesday, the SDF announced its withdrawal from the massive detention camp of Al Hol, blaming “international indifference”.
Tom Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s ambassador to Turkey and special envoy for Syria, said in an X post on Tuesday that the new ceasefire deal helps to integrate the Kurdish forces into Syria’s national army.
He wrote that the SDF’s role as the “primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired” with the new Syrian government now “both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps".
