What is the Fate of ISIS Prisoners Under Syria’s New Administration?
In the regions east of the Euphrates River in Syria, Kurdish forces have controlled vast areas for years, housing several prisons filled with thousands of ISIS members. This situation raises questions about the possibility of handing these prisons over to the new Syrian administration in Damascus as part of a broader solution to the Kurdish issue in Syria.
According to Siamand Ali, the media director for the People’s Protection Units (YPG), in an interview with Alhurra, the areas under the Autonomous Administration in Northeast Syria include 26 prisons, holding approximately 12,000 ISIS detainees of various nationalities.
No Plans to Hand Over the File Ali stated
“The current situation in Damascus is neither suitable nor clear, as elections have not been held, and no new parliament or government has been formed in Syria. Moreover, the outlines of the new government are still not clear. Therefore, we are not currently considering handing this file over to any party.”
The Kurdish Autonomous Administration extends across North and Northeast Syria, where a form of self-governance has been established. These areas are controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), covering parts of Al-Hasakah, Raqqa, Aleppo, and Deir ez-Zor provinces.
The SDF has been involved in the fight against ISIS for about a decade, continuously adding territories freed from ISIS control to its administration.
Thousands of detainees suspected of affiliation with ISIS are held in SDF prisons, the military arm of the Kurdish Autonomous Administration in North and Northeast Syria, including hundreds of foreigners from various nationalities.
Number of Detainees
Since the SDF declared the geographical defeat of ISIS in its last stronghold in 2019, the Autonomous Administration has detained around 56,000 individuals, including 30,000 children, in 24 detention facilities and two camps, Al-Hol and Roj, in Northeast Syria.
In an AFP statistic released about 5 years ago, approximately 12,000 ISIS members are housed in
SDF prisons, with 2,500 to 3,000 being foreigners from 54 countries. Many of these were captured
during the battle in Baghouz, east Syria, about 6 years ago.
These prisoners are distributed across overcrowded prisons in several cities and towns, some in
unprepared buildings under strict guard.
Geographical Distribution
The Ghweiran prison in Al-Hasakah city is one of the largest managed by the SDF, where riots
broke out about 5 years ago, housing around 5,000 detainees, including foreigners of various
nationalities.
The SDF also manages Jarkin prison in Qamishli, Derik (Al-Malikiyah prison), and Al-Shaddadi
prison in Al-Hasakah, along with detention centers in Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor.
It’s worth noting that the Al-Hol camp, located in the Al-Hasakah countryside, hosts families of
ISIS fighters, including women and children.
These prisons are a source of regional and international security concern due to the risk of ISIS
fighters being reorganized and recruited from within.
