ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Islamic State (ISIS) prisoners being transferred from Syria to Iraq as part of a recent agreement will be held in “special prisons” away from urban centers, the head of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said on Tuesday, with Baghdad preparing to receive up to 7,000 prisoners. 

Baghdad is coordinating with Washington to transfer some 7,000 ISIS prisoners from facilities in Syria to secure areas in Iraq, amid uncertainties in Syria after government-aligned factions took control of key detention sites from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). 

“Special prisons will be designated for ISIS terrorists away from crowded cities, especially Mosul, and 7,000 ISIS prisoners will be subject to strict security management and thorough vetting within fortified prisons,” PMF chief Falih al-Fayyadh said.

Mosul, in northern Iraq, is the country’s second-largest city. It served as the de facto capital of ISIS’s so-called “caliphate” after the jihadists swept through vast stretches of Iraqi and Syrian territory in 2014. 

Their defeat came three years later and was the culmination of a long and difficult campaign by Iraqi and Kurdish forces, supported by a US-led coalition. The PMF – a loose umbrella of Shiite armed groups formed through a call to arms by Iraq’s highest Shiite authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani – also played a significant role in defeating the group.

The PMF has since been integrated into the Iraqi security apparatus. Still, numerous factions within the group have routinely been accused of acting with impunity and reportedly maintain strong ties to Iran. 

During his speech, Fayyadh also stressed the “highest levels of caution and vigilance” needed in carrying out the transfer mission, “especially with regard to border security.” 

US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent has been in Baghdad to support the ongoing transfer of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraqi prisons. He has held meetings with Iraq’s top security advisor, defense minister, and the Counter-Terrorism Service. 

Factions affiliated with the Syrian government have taken control of the al-Shaddadi prison and al-Hol camp in Hasakah, as well as al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa. The three sites, previously held by the SDF, house tens of thousands of ISIS members and their families, raising concerns about a potential reemergence of the terror group amid the instability.

“The dramatic changes in Syria … necessitate strengthening preventive measures in Iraq,” Fayyadh asserted. 

A 15-day ceasefire was reached between the Syrian army and the SDF, with the Syrian defense ministry saying the truce extension was aimed at facilitating the prisoner transfer.