ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq's Security Media Cell on Saturday announced that it has received "2,250 terrorists from Syria by land and air" following a transfer agreement amid recent turmoil between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian government.

A devastating January offensive into Rojava (northeast Syria) by Syrian state forces and the ensuing chaos posed a grave risk of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees availing of the turmoil to escape detention facilities, resulting in Iraq agreeing to take in prisoners.

"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," Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) chief Falih al-Fayyadh said in late January.

Lt. General Saad Maan of Iraq's Security Media Cell told state media on Saturday that "Iraq received 2,250 terrorists from Syria by land and air in coordination with the international coalition and through the significant efforts of the security forces. They are being held in secure, organized detention centers."

"Specialized teams have begun initial investigations and are classifying these individuals according to their level of danger, in addition to recording their confessions under direct judicial supervision," he continued.

"The established principle is to try all those involved in committing crimes against Iraqis and affiliated with the ISIS terrorist organization before the competent Iraqi courts," Maan said, noting that efforts will be made to repatriate foreign fighters to face justice in their home countries.

Footage captured on Saturday shows a US convoy transporting ISIS prisoners from Rojava's (northeast Syria) Qamishli to Iraq, with Iraq announcing on the same day that 2,250 detainees have been transferred so far pic.twitter.com/m3vx13JEdp

— The New Region (@thenewregion) February 7, 2026

The US military and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS have been heavily involved in facilitating the transfers, with US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent visiting Baghdad in January to meet with Iraqi security officials on the matter.

Kent said that the American counterterrorism center is "providing direct support, IDing high-value ISIS prisoners to ensure the worst of the worst are transferred securely and face justice,” thanking the Iraqi government for their cooperation in this "important mission."

The risk of ISIS remnants exploiting the Iraq-Syria border area has long been noted, with authorities having endeavored to secure crossing points and manage cross-border traffic.

About 80 percent of a concrete wall stretching roughly 600 kilometers along the border has been completed, as part of a multi-layered defense system that includes barbed wire, deep trenches, and thermal surveillance cameras.