US launches military operation to transfer ISIS prisoners from Syria to more ‘secure’ Iraq

The United States launched a military operation to transfer thousands of ISIS prisoners from Syria to Iraq as fighting continues between the Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces and Damascus.

U.S. Central Command announced the beginning of the operation on Wednesday, by which point it had already transported 150 Islamic State Group prisoners from northeast Syria to a “secure location” in Iraq. It is estimated that up to 7,000 ISIS prisoners could be transferred to Iraq.

Syrian government forces patrol inside the al Hol camp as smoke rises from an arms depot explosion in northeastern Syria’s Hasakeh province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026, after the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

“We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely