The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday, February 13, 2026, that the U.S. military has completed its mission in Syria following the transfer of 5,700 adult male detainees affiliated with the so-called Islamic State group (ISIS) to Iraq.
However, on the same day, Fouad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, told Reuters that approximately 3,000 ISIS prisoners had been transferred from Syrian prisons to Iraq. Iraqi officials did not respond to requests for clarification regarding the discrepancy between the figures provided by Hussein and CENTCOM.
The U.S. military had previously announced on January 21, 2026, that it had begun transferring ISIS detainees and expected the total number to reach 7,000.
Speaking to Reuters on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, Hussein stated that Baghdad is negotiating with other countries to facilitate the repatriation of these individuals to their home countries as soon as possible. He also emphasized that Iraq requires financial assistance to manage the influx of detainees and expressed concern about a potential resurgence of ISIS activity across the Syrian border.
ISIS seized large parts of Syria and Iraq in 2014 but was driven out of those territories five years later by a U.S.-led coalition. Although many of its fighters were detained, remnants of the group remain active.
Meanwhile, the rapid collapse of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria following the end of the country’s civil war in late 2024 has raised concerns about the security of prisons and camps that had been under their control and were holding ISIS members.
