The U.S. military on Friday said it completed a high-stakes mission to transfer thousands of suspected Islamic State fighters from northeastern Syria to Iraq, ending a 23-day operation driven by regional security concerns and a shift in U.S. strategy.
The mission was launched on Jan. 21 to ensure that more than 5,700 ISIS fighters would remain secure in detention centers. A Kurdish militia, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, had been managing prisons under their control in northeastern Syria for several years.
The prisoner transfer comes as the new government in Damascus continues to assert its authority in Syria. Iraq was chosen because it has a more established legal and prison system than war-torn Syria, authorities said.
“Job well done to the entire joint force team who executed this exceptionally challenging mission on the ground and in the air with great focus,” Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of U.S. Central Command, said Friday in a statement. “We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security.”
ISIS was a dire threat to global security between 2014 and 2015. It controlled an area roughly the size of Great Britain and ruled over 8 to 12 million people across Iraq and Syria. While their current numbers in the region have decreased sharply since 2014, the group remains a threat.
Last year, the U.S. and partner forces detained more than 300 ISIS personnel in Syria. But hundreds escaped from Kurdish-run detention centers in January, officials said.
“The successful execution of this orderly and secure transfer operation will help prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria,” Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert, commander of Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve, said Friday in a statement.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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