U.S. Policy in Syria

The U.S. has begun relocating ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq — moving about 150 so far and preparing to transfer potentially thousands of the roughly 9,000–10,000 detainees — even as a fragile ceasefire has allowed Syrian government forces to assume control of former SDF prisons (notably Al‑Shaddadi and al‑Aqtan) amid reports of prisoner escapes and subsequent recaptures. At the same time Washington has signaled a policy shift toward engaging Syria’s new government — envoy Tom Barrack met President Ahmad al‑Sharaa and described the SDF’s original counter‑ISIS role as “largely expired” — prompting U.S. force repositioning and bipartisan concern about protecting Kurdish partners.

Syrian government troops entered the northern towns of Deir Hafer and Maskana on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2026, after the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces agreed to evacuate the area to avoid further clashes, but both sides are already accusing the other of violating the withdrawal deal. State media says SDF fighters attacked an army patrol near Maskana, killing two soldiers and wounding others, while the SDF says Damascus sent forces into the towns before Kurdish units had fully pulled out, creating what it called a 'highly dangerous' situation. An Associated Press reporter on the ground saw Syrian tanks and armored vehicles moving into Deir Hafer and, hours later, a convoy entering Maskana, as officials said more than 11,000 civilians fled the two towns in the previous two days via side roads to government-held areas. The pullback followed a decree by interim President Ahmed al‑Sharaa that, for the first time, recognizes Kurdish as a national language alongside Arabic and makes the Newroz festival an official holiday—concessions Kurdish leaders say still fall short of constitutional guarantees—while U.S. military officials visited Deir Hafer Friday and SDF commander Mazloum Abdi prepared to meet U.S. Syria envoy Tom Barrack in Irbil to contain the crisis. The episode illustrates how the Assad-successor government is trying to reassert control over territory held by America’s main partner against ISIS even as Washington attempts to broker calm between two forces it works with in different ways.