1K+ ISIS detainees move to fortified Iraqi prisons
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraq is preparing to receive around 1,000 ISIS detainees in the coming hours, marking the second wave of transfers since Iraqi authorities approved their relocation, a security source told Shafaq News on Saturday.
According to the source, the detainees are expected to be moved to fortified facilities in Baghdad and other provinces, accompanied by teams from the Justice Ministry and under the protection of the Iraqi Air Force.
The transfer comes amid recent clashes in northeastern Syria around prisons and facilities holding ISIS members and their families, raising renewed concerns over the detainees’ fate. US Central Command (CENTCOM) previously noted that roughly 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syria will be relocated to “secure” facilities in Iraq, a move described by CENTCOM as coordinated with Iraqi authorities.
Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017, the group continues to operate as an insurgent network, active in desert and rural areas as well as provinces including Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. Iraq’s Joint Operations Command reported that security forces carried out dozens of operations and airstrikes in 2025, eliminating more than 90 ISIS militants and targeting senior leaders.
