This came after members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) withdrew from the prison guards and were transferred to the city of Ayn al-Arab (Kobani) in northeastern Syria, as part of arrangements reached between the two parties over the weekend.
The Syrian Ministry of Interior’s statement explained that the Syrian authorities are committed to the principles of the rule of law and will work to follow up everything related to prisons accurately and systematically.
The Syrian army had previously assumed security responsibility for Al-Aqtan prison, which houses ISIS detainees in implementation of the January 18 agreement between the SDF and the Syrian government.
The Syrian Al-Ikhbariya channel reported that operations had begun to transfer members of the SDF from Al-Aqtan prison in the Raqqa countryside “after 5 days of negotiations with the Syrian state.”
She added that SDF members would be transferred to the city of Ain al-Arab, which is under Kurdish control in the Aleppo countryside, within the framework of “security arrangements agreed upon between the two parties.”
An Agence France-Presse correspondent in Raqqa saw buses and cars leaving Al-Aqtan prison, located in the city’s countryside, at night, accompanied by government vehicles, after the roads leading to the prison were blocked on Thursday.
The Syrian army and SDF
Under military pressure from Damascus, which seeks to extend its control over the country, the SDF abandoned large areas of territory in recent days and withdrew to cities and villages where Kurds constitute a majority in Hasakah Governorate, its last stronghold in the northeast of the country.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa announced an agreement with SDF leader Mazloum Abdi, which includes a ceasefire and the integration of Kurdish forces into state institutions that will assume responsibility for ISIS prisoners.
The Syrian news agency SANA quoted the army as saying that the transfer of Al-Aqtan prisoners is “the first step to implementing the January 18 agreement, as the Ministry of Interior will take over the prison and assume its management.”
A government source told the agency that about 800 fighters will leave the prison under “an internationally sponsored agreement aimed at reducing escalation and stabilizing control points.”
The source added that ISIS detainees will be treated “in accordance with Syrian laws.”
Thousands of suspected members of jihadist groups and their families, including foreigners, have been detained in prisons and camps run by the SDF in Syria since the defeat of ISIS in 2019.
The source said that this step comes “in response to international mediations aimed at preventing military escalation in the region and ensuring a peaceful transfer of administrative and security authority in vital locations.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday that clashes took place between government forces and SDF fighters in Al-Aqtan.
On Wednesday, US Central Command (Centcom) announced the start of transferring “up to 7,000 detainees” of ISIS members to “facilities under Iraqi control,” in a move aimed at “ensuring that terrorists remain in safe detention facilities.”
She said that 150 detainees were transferred from a prison in Hasakah Governorate, while Baghdad confirmed that it had received the first batch, which included Iraqis and foreigners.
The Pentagon praises Iraq’s role
On the other hand, the US Embassy in Iraq confirmed that the Pentagon stressed the importance of the leadership role played by Iraq in the international coalition by guarding the organization’s detainees.
The US embassy explained that the presence of non-Iraqi ISIS prisoners in Iraq is temporary, noting that Washington expects the organization’s detainees to be returned to their countries to face justice.
