SDF to Retain Control Over ISIS Detainees Despite Calls for Transfer of Responsibility

Ahmed Mohammed 05/01/2025
A woman and child walk in the the al-Hol camp in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah Governorate on July 28, 2024, as Syrian families of suspected Islamic State fighters prepare to return to their homes in the countryside of Deir Ezzor. - The al-Hol camp is the largest of two in northeastern Syria holding the families of Islamic State fighters. Run by US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), its population spiked at more than 70,000 as the coalition began tightening its grip on the last IS holdout in Baghouz late in 2018. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)
A woman and child walk in the the al-Hol camp in Syria's northeastern Al-Hasakah Governorate on July 28, 2024, as Syrian families of suspected Islamic State fighters prepare to return to their homes in the countryside of Deir Ezzor. - The al-Hol camp is the largest of two in northeastern Syria holding the families of Islamic State fighters. Run by US-backed Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), its population spiked at more than 70,000 as the coalition began tightening its grip on the last IS holdout in Baghouz late in 2018. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP)

A researcher specializing in extremist groups and international terrorism stated on Sunday that the issue of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees in northeastern Syria will remain under the management of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Munir Adib, an expert in extremist movements and international terrorism, told North Press that neither the United States nor the international community is likely to support transferring the responsibility of managing ISIS detainees to any other party, emphasizing that the SDF will maintain control over the matter.

Last week, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan called on the newly formed Syrian administration led by Ahmad al-Sharaa to take over the management of prisons and camps holding thousands of ISIS members and their families.

Adib explained, “The new government in Damascus is a caretaker government, and the SDF will not relinquish control over this matter at this time, as it does not have the authority to make decisions about such a critical issue.”

He suggested that the situation might be reconsidered in the future, possibly after the formation of a newly elected government and the establishment of a new constitution. However, he stressed that no immediate changes are expected.

In the past, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), along with human rights organizations, activists, and Syrian researchers, have repeatedly called for the detainees' cases to be referred to the International Criminal Court and for the U.N. Security Council to intervene. However, these efforts have yet to yield tangible results.

Ahmed Mohammed

05/01/2025

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