The United States has launched a major logistical operation to transfer thousands of detained Islamic State fighters in Syria to Iraq following the withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The SDF’s retreat has created a dangerous security vacuum, raising fears of an Islamic State resurgence.
The operation, overseen by the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), involves transferring detainees from prisons in Syria to what officials have termed “secure locations” in Iraq. Around 150 detainees have already been moved, with plans under discussion to transfer as many as 7,000. The US appears clearly worried about the escape of 120 inmates from the Shaddadeh detention facility near the Iraqi border.
Washington does not want a repeat of what happened as SDF forces retreat from areas they previously controlled. American officials believe that the existing detention system, long reliant on the SDF for security, is no longer viable amid collapsing ceasefire arrangements and shifting territorial control. The SDF itself has warned that abandoning these prisons could lead to a “security catastrophe”.
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While the United States is executing the operation, it was initiated at the explicit request of the Iraqi government. Officials in Baghdad feared that instability across the border would allow hardened militants to slip out of detention and re-enter Iraq, where the memory of the Islamic State’s 2014 offensive remains deeply entrenched. An Iraqi security official confirmed that the decision was taken by Iraq and was “welcomed by the US-led coalition and the Syrian government”, pointing to a rare convergence of interests among historically wary actors.
For Baghdad, the transfer is framed as a pre-emptive measure to defend national security. The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council has announced that detainees will be interrogated and prosecuted under Iraqi law. Intelligence officials have said the groups include high-value Islamic State commanders of various nationalities, including Tunisians, Tajiks and Kazakhs, whom they regard as particularly dangerous.
At the same time, Iraqi officials have been careful to stress that the burden should not fall on Iraq alone. They have demanded more international support, warning that the responsibility of housing thousands of Islamic State suspects cannot be left solely to Baghdad. To prevent further spillover from Syria, Iraq has reinforced its border presence, deploying additional patrols and tanks along sensitive stretches, particularly in Sinjar province, where the scars of the Islamic State genocide against the Yazidis are still raw.
Damascus has voiced full support for the transfers. Syrian officials say discussions about relocating detainees had been ongoing for months before the latest escalation and have presented the move as evidence of Syria’s renewed commitment to counterterrorism. Under President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the government has sought to project an image of stability and cooperation, signalling what some analysts describe as a westward pivot and limited engagement with the United States. Damascus has even formally joined the Global Coalition to Defeat Islamic State.
Syrian authorities have declared the al-Hol camp and other Islamic State-linked detention facilities restricted zones and claim to be actively searching for escapees. At the same time, Damascus has placed blame squarely on the SDF, alleging that prisoners were released or escaped due to the chaos caused by the Kurdish withdrawal rather than the government’s own military advance, a claim viewed sceptically by some observers.
For Washington, the prisoner transfers reflect a changing strategic reality. US officials have made clear that confidence in the durability of the ceasefire has evaporated. US envoy Tom Barrack has said that the American alliance with the SDF has “largely expired”, pointing to a major recalibration of US policy in Syria. The focus is now on securing detention facilities, preserving counterterrorism gains and facilitating the reintegration of northeastern Syria under the regime in Damascus.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has also stepped in. After the withdrawal of the SDF, the UN refugee agency has taken over the responsibility for the al-Hol camp, which houses tens of thousands of people, many of them women and children linked to Islamic State fighters. UN officials have described conditions inside the camp as tense and volatile and say they are working with Syrian authorities to restore order and humanitarian access.
Human rights groups, however, have raised serious concerns about the transfer of detainees to Iraq. Organisations such as Reprieve have warned that prisoners could face torture, unfair trials and even execution under Iraq’s judicial system. They have urged governments, including the UK, to intervene to ensure their nationals, potentially including juvenile detainees, are protected from abuse. The UN Security Council continues to receive briefings on the situation, monitoring what diplomats describe as an increasingly volatile and consequential phase in Syria’s long war.