U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced Thursday that it had completed a 23-day operation to transfer more than 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters from detention facilities in northeastern Syria to Iraqi custody.
The transfer mission, which began on Jan. 21, concluded with a final nighttime flight from Syria to Iraq on Feb. 12. U.S. forces transported the detainees from facilities previously managed by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) to Baghdad, where Iraqi authorities have taken custody.
CENTCOM officials said the operation reflected close collaboration with regional partners, with Iraqi leadership playing a central role in accepting the transferred prisoners.
“Job well done to the entire Joint Force team who executed this exceptionally challenging mission on the ground and in the air with great focus, professionalism, and collaboration with our regional partners,” Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander, said in a statement. “We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security.”
The transfer was prompted by advances from Syrian government forces into Kurdish-controlled areas of northeastern Syria and reports of a mass escape from a detention facility in late January.
The mission was planned and executed by U.S. and coalition forces under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve. “The successful execution of this orderly and secure transfer operation will help prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert, CJTF-OIR commander.
As I was leaving Qamishli, I observed buses transporting #ISIS detainees to Iraq, in an operation involving the International Coalition and #SDF forces, with helicopters providing aerial security. pic.twitter.com/WMElzSsH3K
— Baderkhan Ahmad (@baderkhanahmad) February 7, 2026
The transferred detainees represent 60 different nationalities. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the prisoners would be in Iraq “temporarily” and urged home countries to repatriate their nationals, though many countries have resisted taking back citizens who joined ISIS, including those in Europe.
Iraq’s judiciary announced on Feb. 2 that it had begun investigations into more than 1,300 ISIS suspects among those transferred. Judge Faiq Zidan, president of the Supreme Judicial Council, said in a televised address that the Iraqi judiciary was “fully prepared” to try the suspects in accordance with national laws and international obligations.
