CENTCOM Says 10 New Syria Strikes Hit 30+ ISIS Targets as U.S. Confirms Transfer of 5,700 Suspects to Iraq
CENTCOM said U.S. forces carried out 10 strikes in Syria between Feb. 3 and Feb. 12 under Operation Hawkeye Strike, hitting more than 30 ISIS weapons‑storage and infrastructure targets in what officials tied to retaliation for a Dec. 13 ambush that killed three Americans and an interpreter. Separately, U.S. forces completed a 23‑day operation that moved more than 5,700 adult male ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraqi custody at Baghdad’s request — a transfer U.S. and Iraqi officials said was vital to regional security even as human‑rights groups warned of risks of unfair trials in Iraq and Iraqi authorities rejected those allegations.
📌 Key Facts
- CENTCOM completed a 23‑day operation (capped by a Feb. 12 nighttime flight) that moved more than 5,700 adult male ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria into Iraqi custody at Baghdad’s request; U.S. and coalition officials had discussed transferring roughly 7,000 detainees overall.
- U.S. forces carried out 10 strikes in Syria between Feb. 3–13 (Operation Hawkeye Strike) that hit more than 30 weapons‑storage and infrastructure targets; CENTCOM says the broader campaign has struck 100+ infrastructure targets and resulted in more than 50 ISIS fighters killed or captured.
- U.S. officials linked the strikes to retaliation and disruption tied to a Dec. 13 Palmyra ambush that killed three Americans (Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres‑Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard) and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat; CENTCOM and coalition commanders (Adm. Brad Cooper, Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert) framed the actions as necessary to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
- The transfers followed chaotic handovers and weakened SDF custody after a Syrian government–SDF agreement and rapid Syrian advances: SDF forces withdrew from some prisons and the al‑Hol camp (which holds about 24,000 people — ~14,500 Syrians, ~3,000 Iraqis and ~6,500 foreign nationals in a high‑security annex), and facilities such as al‑Shaddadi and al‑Aqtan saw reported mass escapes (about 120 at al‑Shaddadi, many reportedly recaptured); CBS journalists found emptied cells at Al‑Shaddadi after the incidents.
- Syria extended a ceasefire (initially four days, then extended 15 days) and Damascus publicly framed the extension as facilitating the U.S.‑led detainee transfers; U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met President Ahmed al‑Sharaa in Raqqa‑area talks and praised a deal in which the SDF would withdraw from Raqqa and Deir el‑Zour and hand over border crossings, oil and gas fields, and dams to the Syrian state.
- Human rights and legal concerns accompanied the transfers: Human Rights Watch warned many detainees could face opaque, unfair trials in Iraq similar to earlier mass proceedings; Iraqi judicial officials rejected torture allegations and said Iraq is prepared to try foreign and domestic ISIS suspects, while U.S. officials urged countries to repatriate their nationals.
- The U.S. increased its regional military posture amid the turmoil — repositioning an F‑15 squadron, flying C‑17s with heavy equipment into the area and preparing to bring the USS Abraham Lincoln into the CENTCOM theater — even as U.S. policymakers debated the posture of roughly 1,000 American troops remaining in Syria.
- Syrian government forces reportedly took control of the al‑Tanf base long used by U.S. troops, and public U.S. diplomacy (including Barrack’s statements) signaled engagement with Damascus under President Ahmed al‑Sharaa as a counter‑ISIS partner, a shift that critics warn may abandon longtime SDF allies and carries legal and moral risks.
📰 Source Timeline (15)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
February 14, 2026
5:33 PM
U.S. targets Islamic State in Syria with series of airstrikes
New information:
- Confirms names of the three Americans killed in the Dec. 13 ambush: Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and civilian interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat.
- Adds that Syrian government forces have taken control of the al-Tanf base, described as a base 'run for years by U.S. troops' during the ISIS fight.
- States explicitly that the transfer of 'thousands' of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq was done 'at the request of Baghdad' and was welcomed by the U.S.-led coalition.
4:29 PM
US military reports a series of airstrikes against Islamic State targets in Syria
New information:
- Confirms that the December 13, 2025 ISIS ambush that killed Sgt. Edgar Brian Torres-Tovar, Sgt. William Nathaniel Howard, and interpreter Ayad Mansoor Sakat is the specific incident these strikes are retaliating for.
- Restates that the 10 U.S. strikes between Feb. 3 and Feb. 13 hit more than 30 ISIS weapons-storage and infrastructure targets in Syria, consistent with earlier CENTCOM framing.
- Notes that the Syrian Defense Ministry says its forces have taken control of the al-Tanf base in eastern Syria, describing it as a site long used by U.S. troops against ISIS, echoing but not materially expanding prior reports of the handover.
1:07 PM
U.S. military hits 30 ISIS targets in Syria
New information:
- CENTCOM says U.S. forces conducted 10 strikes in Syria between Feb. 3 and Feb. 12, hitting more than 30 ISIS infrastructure and weapons-storage targets under Operation Hawkeye Strike.
- CENTCOM states that more than 50 ISIS members have been killed or captured and more than 100 ISIS infrastructure targets have been struck during Operation Hawkeye Strike overall.
- CBS ties the ongoing Syria strikes, and a January killing of alleged al-Qaeda–linked figure Bilal Hasan al-Jasim, directly to the Dec. 13 Palmyra ambush that killed three Americans and an interpreter and to President Trump’s vow of 'very serious retaliation.'
February 13, 2026
4:18 PM
U.S. military says transfer of ISIS suspects from Syria to Iraq complete
New information:
- CENTCOM says it has completed a 23‑day operation, capped by a Feb. 12 nighttime flight, to move more than 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters from detention facilities in northeastern Syria to Iraqi custody.
- CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper and coalition commander Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert both issued statements framing the transfer as essential to regional security and preventing an ISIS resurgence in Syria.
- Human Rights Watch researcher Sarah Sanbar warns that many detainees may face terrorism charges in opaque Iraqi courts with a history of 'totally sham trials,' citing 2018–2019 mass proceedings where thousands were convicted, some sentenced to death after 10‑minute hearings that relied on torture‑tainted confessions and anonymous informants.
- An official from Iraq’s National Center of Justice and International Judicial Collaboration rejects allegations of torture and unfair trials, insisting the Iraqi judiciary 'categorically rejects torture' and that coerced confessions are themselves a crime.
February 05, 2026
5:15 PM
Concern over safety and justice as U.S. moves 7,000 ISIS suspects to Iraq
New information:
- Quantifies the overall transfer at roughly 7,000 ISIS suspects from northeast Syria to Iraq, with Iraqi sources saying nearly 2,000 had already arrived as of Thursday.
- Details that a Jan. 20, 2026 mass escape from at least one SDF‑run prison in Syria, and subsequent clashes around facilities like Al‑Aqtan prison, drove urgent U.S. and regional concern about ISIS detainees escaping.
- Reports that Syria’s Ministry of Defense extended a ceasefire by 15 days at the end of January specifically to allow the U.S.‑led coalition to complete transfers to Iraq.
- Quotes U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirming the detainees will be 'temporarily' in Iraq and urging home countries to repatriate their nationals, while Iraq’s top judge Faiq Zidan publicly says Iraq is prepared to try both foreign and domestic ISIS suspects and touts 'fair and decisive trials.'
- Highlights deep mistrust between the U.S.-backed SDF and Syria’s new, also U.S.-backed central government as a proximate cause of clashes that weakened prison security, prompting the transfer decision.
January 24, 2026
10:45 PM
Lindsey Graham says 'strong consensus' to protect Kurds as Syrian forces advance on territory
New information:
- Sen. Lindsey Graham posted that there is a "strong and growing bipartisan interest" in the Senate and a "strong consensus" that the U.S. must protect Syrian Kurds who helped defeat the ISIS caliphate.
- Mike Pompeo responded publicly that "turning our backs on our Kurdish allies would be a moral and strategic disaster," sharpening Republican criticism of any U.S. pullback from the SDF.
- U.S. Ambassador to Turkey and Syria envoy Tom Barrack wrote on X that the SDF was the best ground partner when there was no 'functioning central Syrian state,' but said the situation has 'fundamentally changed' because Syria now has an 'acknowledged central government' that has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS and is cooperating with the U.S. on counterterrorism.
- Barrack’s statement is being read as an explicit signal that Washington now sees Damascus as its primary counter‑ISIS partner instead of the SDF, even as Syrian government forces with 'a large jihadist element' advance on long‑held SDF territory.
10:32 PM
Syrian army announces ceasefire with Kurdish-led force extended for another 15 days
New information:
- Syria’s defense ministry announced on Jan. 24 that the government–SDF ceasefire, initially a four‑day truce, has been extended for another 15 days.
- Damascus explicitly framed the extension as support for the U.S. operation to transfer ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to detention centers in Iraq; the SDF publicly affirmed its commitment to the extension.
- Syrian state TV reported that authorities released 126 boys under 18 from the al‑Aqtan prison near Raqqa after government forces seized the facility, returning them to families while ISIS adult detainees remain; the government now controls two former SDF‑run prisons holding ISIS members.
January 23, 2026
9:46 PM
Chaos in Syria sparks fears of ISIS prison breaks as US rushes detainees to Iraq
New information:
- The U.S. military has launched an operation to relocate ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq, already moving about 150 detainees from a Hasakah facility and planning to transfer up to 7,000 of the roughly 9,000–10,000 ISIS detainees held in Syria.
- Syria’s new government under President Ahmed al‑Sharaa has ordered the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces to disband after a rapid offensive that severely weakened the group, and Syrian government forces have assumed control of several detention centers the SDF previously guarded.
- Syrian authorities say at least 120 ISIS detainees escaped during a breakout at the al‑Shaddadi prison in Hasakah this week; many have reportedly been recaptured but some remain at large.
- The SDF has announced it is withdrawing from overseeing the al‑Hol camp, citing international indifference, and has redeployed guards to confront advancing Syrian government forces.
- A new four‑day ceasefire between Kurdish forces and Syrian government troops was agreed Tuesday evening, but officials describe the truce as fragile, and U.S. officials are weighing whether to withdraw the roughly 1,000 American troops still in Syria.
January 20, 2026
7:21 PM
CBS News finds empty cells at Syrian jail that held ISIS suspects
New information:
- CBS journalists entered Al‑Shaddadi prison on Jan. 19–20 and documented empty cells and discarded ISIS detainee jumpsuits, showing the facility had been cleared days after the reported escape.
- Syrian Interior Ministry accuses the SDF of allowing about 120 ISIS detainees to escape during government attempts to seize the prison, while the SDF denies this and Damascus later claims most escapees were recaptured.
- A U.S. military source confirmed to CBS that there is a U.S. combat outpost less than two miles from Al‑Shaddadi prison, used largely for intelligence and surveillance to protect U.S. forces.
- U.S. Syria envoy Thomas Barrack publicly stated that the 'original purpose' of the SDF as the primary anti‑ISIS ground force has 'largely expired' because the new Syrian government is now 'willing and positioned' to take over, and urged the SDF to integrate into a unified Syrian state with guarantees on citizenship and cultural rights.
5:39 PM
Syrian military, Kurdish-led forces announce a new truce after previous a ceasefire broke down
New information:
- Syrian government and the Kurdish-led SDF have announced a new four-day truce after a previous ceasefire broke down amid two weeks of clashes over implementing a force-merger deal.
- SDF guards have withdrawn from the al-Hol camp in northeast Syria, which currently holds about 24,000 people linked to ISIS, including around 14,500 Syrians, nearly 3,000 Iraqis, and about 6,500 foreign nationals in a high-security annex.
- Syria’s Interior Ministry accuses the SDF of allowing the release of detainees and families from al-Hol and says 120 ISIS prisoners escaped from Shaddadeh prison on Monday, with 81 recaptured; the SDF blames Damascus-aligned factions and says it redeployed forces to protect northern cities from regime threats.
- U.S. Central Command, via an unnamed official, confirms it is aware of reports about the al-Hol withdrawal and is closely monitoring the situation.
3:10 AM
ISIS fighters break free from Syrian jail amid chaotic government handover
New information:
- During Monday’s transfer of Al‑Shaddadi prison from SDF to Syrian government control in Hasakah province, local residents broke roughly 200 ISIS detainees out as SDF guards left and Syrian troops moved in.
- U.S. and regional sources say the facility had held under 1,000 detainees previously but only about 200 remained after U.S.–SDF efforts in recent months to move the most dangerous foreign ISIS fighters to more secure prisons before the ceasefire took effect.
- A senior U.S. official told Fox News that most of the escaped prisoners were quickly rounded up and returned to the prison, which is now under Syrian government control, and that the Syrian army imposed a full curfew in Shaddadi while conducting sweeps for any remaining escapees.
- In response, U.S. Central Command has increased its regional posture: repositioning a squadron of F‑15s, flying C‑17s with heavy equipment into the area, and preparing to bring the USS Abraham Lincoln into the CENTCOM theater by Jan. 25.
January 19, 2026
7:34 PM
Syrian government agrees to ceasefire with Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces
New information:
- Syrian President Ahmad al‑Sharaa publicly signed an agreement with SDF commander Mazloum Abdi to cease fire and dismantle the Kurdish‑led SDF, with Abdi’s signature on the document and his video confirmation of acceptance.
- Under the deal, SDF forces are to withdraw from Raqqa and Deir el‑Zour provinces and hand over all border crossings, oil and gas fields, and Euphrates river dams to the Syrian state; Hassakah’s Kurdish‑run civilian administration will revert to Damascus while Kurdish-led agencies retain responsibility for ISIS prisons and camps, pending further details.
- U.S. envoy Tom Barrack met al‑Sharaa in Raqqa-area talks as government forces moved into Raqqa and across Deir el‑Zour, and Barrack publicly praised the pact as a 'pivotal inflection point' toward a 'unified Syria' and future integration work.
- The Syrian Defense Ministry ordered front‑line fighting halted after the agreement, and state media portrayed the deal as finally allowing the post‑Assad leadership to assert 'almost full control' over the country after its December 2024 takeover.
4:42 PM
Top GOP senator says Syria ceasefire welcome but actions must match words
New information:
- Senate Foreign Relations Chair Jim Risch told Fox News Digital that he welcomes the ceasefire and al‑Sharaa’s decree on Kurdish rights but warned Syrian government conduct must match its words and that infighting between U.S. partners only benefits ISIS and Iran.
- Fox emphasizes that President Ahmed al‑Sharaa is a former U.S.-designated terrorist with past ties to ISIS and al‑Qaeda who ordered the Syrian army’s rapid incursion into SDF‑held territory that had been under Kurdish control for more than a decade.
- Kurdistan 24 footage, widely shared on social media, reportedly shows Syrian Arab Army forces releasing ISIS prisoners in Tabqa; Fox notes it cannot independently verify the video.
- The piece quotes U.S. envoy and ambassador Tom Barrack’s X post lauding the al‑Sharaa–Mazloum Abdi deal as a 'pivotal inflection point' and calling al‑Sharaa and Abdi 'two great Syrian leaders,' underscoring the administration’s public embrace of the arrangement.
- YPG commander Sipan Hamo is quoted saying the Barrack–Kurdish meeting produced no concrete roadmap to ceasefire implementation and reiterating that Syrian Kurds do not seek secession but see their future inside Syria.
January 13, 2026
10:29 PM
Republican senator condemns alleged Syrian army abuses as ceasefire follows Aleppo fighting
New information:
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair Jim Risch issued a statement on X saying he is 'gravely concerned' about Syrian armed forces’ conduct in Aleppo and urged the Syrian government to hold perpetrators accountable for 'egregious acts.'
- Risch’s statement was prompted by a Syrian Network report alleging a Syrian army member desecrated a woman’s body in Aleppo by throwing it from a high floor.
- CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper publicly appealed 'to all parties to exercise maximum restraint' in the Aleppo area on Tuesday, directly addressing the clashes.
- Fox details that the Syrian army units involved are controlled by President Ahmed al‑Sharaa, identified as a former U.S.-designated terrorist and ex–al‑Qaeda/ISIS member.
- The piece reiterates that Mazloum Abdi says an internationally mediated understanding has produced a ceasefire and evacuation of SDF fighters, civilians, and the dead and wounded from the Sheikh Maqsood and Ashrafiyeh neighborhoods to northeast Syria.
- U.S. Ambassador and Special Envoy Tom Barrack publicly noted his meeting in Damascus with President al‑Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al‑Shaibani to discuss Aleppo developments and Syria’s 'historic transition.'
January 10, 2026