Iraq fulfilled in January and February 2026 a request by U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) to transfer to Iraqi prisons more than 5,700 Daesh detainees formerly held in makeshift detention camps in northeastern Syria.
“We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS,” USCENTCOM Commander Adm. Brad Cooper said.
Thousands of terrorists detained in Syria — along with women and children related to the Daesh members — pose a major security challenge to the region.
When Daesh was defeated in Iraq in December 2017 and in Syria in March 2019, detention camps were established in Syria to hold captured terrorists and their families.
More than a dozen, separate detention facilities held about 9,000 combatants. But political instability in northeastern Syria had rendered the camps insecure, requiring the transfer of many terrorists to more secure locations.
Since 2021 Iraq has repatriated more than 20,000 family members of individuals associated with Daesh once held at Al-Hol camp. Many receive assistance to reintegrate them into Iraqi society.
Sources: Kuwait News Agency, U.S. Department of State, USCENTCOM, Reuters, peacerep.org, Sky News