US-Led Coalition Continues Secure Transfers of ISIS Detainees from Syria to Iraq
Coalition forces transferred ISIS detainees from Hasakah to Iraq for a second day, with five buses escorted by armored vehicles and air surveillance, as part of coordinated operations with Iraqi authorities.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Under the shadow of armored convoys and circling aircraft, a tightly secured transfer operation moved again across northeastern Syria, as buses carrying ISIS detainees departed Hasakah toward Iraq for the second consecutive day.
Kurdistan24 has learned from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that forces of the international coalition transferred a number of ISIS members from the city of Hasakah toward Iraqi territory for a second day in a row, as part of a heavily secured operation.
The Observatory told Kurdistan24 that the detainees were transported aboard five buses under strict security measures. The convoy was accompanied by coalition armored vehicles, while aircraft flew overhead to secure the route and prevent any potential breaches.
The movement comes within the framework of ongoing coordinated operations between the international coalition and Iraqi authorities to control ISIS members and secure the border areas between Syria and Iraq.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also monitored, one day earlier, the crossing of seven buses carrying ISIS members, escorted by US armored vehicles, from the city of Qamishli toward the Iraqi border, in preparation for their entry into Iraqi territory.
No additional details have been disclosed regarding the number of detainees transferred or the security procedures in place during the operation, amid anticipation over their final destination and the measures adopted to ensure security control along the border regions.
Iraq has confirmed that the transfer of ISIS detainees from Syrian territory to Iraq is ongoing, with 2,250 prisoners relocated so far, according to Lieutenant General Saad Maan, Head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell.
Maan said Iraq has assumed this responsibility “on behalf of the entire world,” stressing that the process requires international cooperation and support. He stated that the transfers are being conducted via land and air routes, with direct coordination with the international coalition and through the efforts of Iraqi security forces.
He confirmed that the detainees include Iraqi, Syrian, and other nationalities and are being held in high-security detention facilities. He said Iraqi forces have the capability to manage the case and that interrogations are expected to provide critical intelligence to strengthen regional security and stability.
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 in handling the case within the legal and constitutional framework.
He added that the number of ISIS militants expected to be returned could exceed 7,000. This follows the approval by Iraq’s National Security Council on Dec. 26 of the previous year of a comprehensive plan and a unified security committee to oversee the transfer of all ISIS members from Syrian prisons to Iraq.
Kurdistan24 has learned that US forces remain directly involved in the transfer process. According to exclusive comments to Kurdistan24, out of a total of seven thousand prisoners, more than two thousand have already been transferred through several convoys. Each convoy is composed of six buses, and another convoy was dispatched from the al-Hitin area toward Zor under heavy protection and aerial surveillance.
As convoys continue to cross from Syria into Iraq under layered security, the operation is entering a sustained phase of implementation, with further transfers expected in the days ahead.