U.S. military to move up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq

On 22 January 2026, the US military began moving up to 7,000 Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq. Iraq received the first batch of detainees from the al-Hol camp and started judicial proceedings against them. Prisons and camps in Syria hold about 10,000 IS members.

Rubio said Washington welcomes the Baghdad government's initiative to detain the IS members moved from Syria, and that Iraq stands on the front line against the IS threat. Separately, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources, that the US is weighing a complete military withdrawal from Syria.