Some ISIS prisoners who escaped from a prison in northeastern Syria on January 19 are still missing after the ensuing chaos made tracking some fighters “impossible”, an analyst familiar with the situation claimed.
And as US forces move to transfer thousands of male militants from the region to Iraq, the wives of ISIS fighters remain in what he described as “fragile” detention camps.
“The exact number of missing people is unclear because the chaos made it impossible to track them all,” said Hawach of the police International Crisis Group.
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Syrian security forces have increased security measures in the Al-Hawl refugee camp. (Santiago Montag/Anadolu via Getty Images)
“The US transfer to Iraq involves male detainees from prisons, but those held in camps remain in Syria under the control of Damascus.”
The instability also came ahead of reports that the US is considering a complete withdrawal of troops from Syria.
Charles Lister, director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program, told the Wall Street Journal On Thursday, he said that “the main thing that has held back the US military presence in Syria over the past year is the detention facilities and the camps.”
The US Central Command confirmed on January 21 that it had begun transferring ISIS prisoners to Iraqi-controlled centers as an emergency effort to prevent a resurgence of the terrorist group amid deteriorating security conditions.
The measure followed the prison break in a detention center in Hasakah province during clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
Militants broke out during the unrest, and although many were later recaptured, the full extent of the breakout remains unclear.
U.S. forces have already transported about 150 ISIS fighters from a detention center in Hasakah to secure locations in Iraq, according to CENTCOM, which said as many as 7,000 prisoners could be transferred.
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ISIS women and children remain in ‘fragile’ Syrian detention camps under Damascus control, while male fighters are transferred to Iraq, leaving the detention crisis unresolved. (Santiago Montag/Anadolu via Getty Image)
An Iraqi intelligence general said this The Associated Press On January 21, Iraqi authorities reported an initial group of 144 prisoners, with additional transfers by air planned.
“The US is facilitating transfers to Iraqi custody as an emergency measure due to the unstable security situation in northeastern Syria,” Hawach said, noting that Iraq’s secure prisons “reduce the risk of further mass outbreaks.”
“Human rights organizations have raised concerns about the trial procedures in Iraq, but the priority right now is preventing escapes, and Iraq can deliver on that.”
Hawach stressed that the transfers only apply to male fighters held in prisons, and not to women and children confined in camps such as the infamous al-Hawl.
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ISIS women and children remain in ‘fragile’ Syrian detention camps under Damascus control, while male fighters are transferred to Iraq, leaving the detention crisis unresolved. (Santiago Montag/Anadolu via Getty Image)
Al-Hawl camp has held tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and children since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.
“Women and children are held in camps, not prisons, and are treated differently than male fighters,” Hawach said.
‘The long-term solution for women and children is repatriation to their home countries, but most governments are reluctant.
“Some women are ideologically committed; some are not. Distinguishing between them requires case-by-case assessments, which has not happened on a large scale.”
Still, Hawach cautioned that the deeper problem remains unresolved.
“The detention system was always fragile, always underfunded, always a temporary solution waiting for permanent answers,” he said.
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“The transfers to Iraq address the immediate crisis but do not solve the underlying problem of what to do with this population in the long term.”
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said this week that “the SDF’s original purpose as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both prepared and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.”
