ISIS Detainees and Syria Policy

The U.S. military has begun transferring detainees from SDF‑run facilities in northeastern Syria to Iraq, moving an initial 150 ISIS suspects to Iraqi custody as part of a process U.S. officials say could ultimately involve thousands of male detainees amid concerns about mass breakouts and Iraqi detention and trial procedures. Simultaneously, Syrian government forces have taken control of al‑Aqtan prison north of Raqqa (and the al‑Hol camp), after roughly 800 SDF guards were evacuated to Kobani, with Damascus’ prisons authority reviewing files for up to 2,000 inmates even as it remains unclear how many are ISIS members and how many escapees remain at large.