Exclusive-US slows transfers of Islamic State detainees to Iraq, sources say

Syrian security forces stand guard outside al-Aqtan prison, where some Islamic State detainees are held, in Raqqa, Syria January 23, 2026. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

BAGHDAD Jan 30 (Reuters) - Transfers of Islamic ‌State detainees from Syria to Iraq by the U.S. military have slowed this week, seven sources familiar with the matter said, following calls by Baghdad for other countries to repatriate thousands of foreign jihadists.

The ‌U.S. military said on January 21 it had started to transfer the detainees. Its announcement followed the rapid collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria, which caused uncertainty ‌about the security of prisons and detention camps they were guarding.