CENTCOM commander visits camps and prisons holding ISIS fighters in northeast Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) –  General Michael Kurilla, the Commander of the US Central Command, on Thursday visited northeast Syria for the sixth time and visited the Syrian Democratic Forces and US forces on the ground. He also visited prisons and camps that hold ISIS fighters and families.

General Kurilla traveled to northeast Syria where he visited sites critical to the ongoing effort to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS. pic.twitter.com/BYfNge7VEs

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 11, 2023

According to a CENTCOM press release, the commander met with analysts and leaders on the current threat posed by ISIS.

“While the Coalition to Defeat ISIS has significantly degraded the group's capability, ISIS retains the ability to inspire, direct, organize, and lead attacks in the region and abroad.

Read More: US-led coalition says SDF cleared Hasakah prison from enemy fighters

Moreover, General Michael Kurilla visited a detention center holding more than 5,000 prisoners in Hasakah city.

“At the detention facility, General Kurilla observed the structural damage incurred during the January 2022 ISIS attack,” he said.

In January 2022, ISIS attempted to ‘free’ prisoners in the facility, but the attempt was thwarted due to coalition and SDF efforts, in which 400 ISIS fighters were killed. Moreover, 121 SDF fighters were killed during the fight.

“In visiting the detention facility, I saw the looming threat posed by the detained ISIS fighters,” General Michael Kurilla said, adding that there is a ‘veritable’ ISIS army in detention. “If freed, this group would pose a great threat regionally and beyond.”

Read More: Al-Hol camp presents a threat to the region: CENTCOM commander

SDF leaders also emphasized that the detainees are “unrepentant,” and susceptible to further radicalization—like a “ticking time bomb.”

In addition, General Kurilla visited the Roj and al-Hol camps that host thousands of ISIS families.

“There is no military solution to this problem—the only solution to the lingering threat posed by ISIS in the camp is the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of residents to their countries of origin,” Kurila concluded

‘While progress against ISIS in Syria continues, many of the underlying conditions that led to the group's expansion remain. While ISIS has been significantly degraded over the years, its violent ideology persists.”

“Alongside the SDF, we continue to put pressure on ISIS in Syria,” Kurill concluded. “The fight against ISIS is a fight for security and stability of not only Syria and Iraq, but the entire region. We absolutely cannot allow a resurgence of ISIS.”

Last week, the US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Gen. Mark Milley, visited northeast Syria and met US troops. Both Turkish and Syrian officials condemned the visit.

“Of course, when it comes to General Milley’s visit, we’d refer you to the Department of Defense; however, it’s our understanding that General Milley met only with U.S. troops while in Syria,” US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters, when asked if he met with the SDF leadership.

“It was only an interaction with American service members,” he added.