Iraq Says It Has Transferred 2,250 ISIS Detainees from Syria, With Thousands More Expected
Iraq has transferred 2,250 ISIS detainees from Syria via land and air, with security and judicial coordination, as part of a broader plan that may involve more than 7,000 prisoners.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Under tightly coordinated security measures and across two borders, Iraq has confirmed the transfer of thousands of ISIS detainees from Syria, marking a major step in a process that Iraqi officials describe as both a national responsibility and a global security burden.
Lieutenant General Saad Maan, Head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, announced that the process of transferring ISIS detainees from Syrian territory to Iraq is ongoing, and that a total of 2,250 prisoners have so far been relocated.
Maan stated that Iraq has assumed this major responsibility “on behalf of the entire world,” stressing that the operation requires international cooperation and support.
According to Maan, speaking to Iraqi media, the transfers have been conducted via both land and air routes, with direct coordination with the international coalition and through significant efforts by Iraqi security forces.
He confirmed that the detainees hold Iraqi, Syrian, and several other nationalities, and that they are being held in high-security detention facilities where the highest levels of safety and security have been ensured.
Maan emphasized that Iraqi forces possess strong capabilities to manage this case. He added that interrogations with the detainees will bring substantial security benefits, as they are expected to reveal critical intelligence information that will contribute to strengthening security and stability in the region.
For this purpose, a high-level committee has been formed under the supervision of the Joint Operations Command to carry out preliminary investigations.
Maan also praised the role of Iraq’s judicial authorities, highlighting their work within the legal and constitutional framework to handle the case and uphold the rule of law.
He further indicated that the number of ISIS militants expected to be returned could exceed 7,000.
This comes as Iraq’s National Security Council approved a comprehensive plan and a unified security committee on Dec. 26 of the previous year to oversee the transfer of all ISIS members from Syrian prisons to Iraq.
On Feb. 2, 2026, Iraq’s judiciary announced that it had initiated investigations into 1,387 ISIS detainees who were recently transferred from Syria.
According to a statement from the judiciary’s media office, “Investigation proceedings have started with 1,387 members of the terrorist organization who were recently transferred from the Syrian territory.”
The office added that several judges specializing in counterterrorism, operating under the supervision of the head of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, have begun the proceedings.
The detainees include Syrians, Iraqis, Europeans, and other nationalities, according to Iraqi security sources.
Many of the suspects were involved in ISIS’s 2014 offensive across Syria and Iraq, which resulted in massacres, displacement, and the sexual enslavement of women and girls.
Iraq, backed by US-led coalition forces, declared the defeat of ISIS on its soil in 2017, while the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces pushed the group out of Syria by 2019. The SDF detained thousands of suspected jihadists and tens of thousands of their relatives in camps across northern Syria.
The judiciary emphasized that the investigation procedures for the newly transferred detainees “will comply with national laws and international standards,” reflecting Baghdad’s efforts to manage a complex security and legal challenge while addressing both domestic and international expectations.
As transfers continue and investigations expand, Iraqi authorities say the operation will remain anchored in security coordination, judicial oversight, and international cooperation.