A C-130J Super Hercules taxis on a runway in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility on Jan. 28, 2026. CENTCOM conducted a nighttime transfer operation from northeastern Syria to Iraq on Feb. 12, 2026, aimed at maintaining the security of ISIS detainees held in regional detention facilities. (Nicholas Monteleone/U.S. Air Force)
American forces completed a nearly monthlong mission to transfer thousands of Islamic State detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq, U.S. Central Command said Friday.
The operation concluded following a nighttime flight Thursday and resulted in the transfer of more than 5,700 ISIS fighters from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody, CENTCOM said in a statement.
The mission began Jan. 21 amid fears that fighting in Syria could allow ISIS prisoners to escape from detention camps.
“Job well done to the entire Joint Force team who executed this exceptionally challenging mission on the ground and in the air with great focus, professionalism, and collaboration with our regional partners,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said in the statement.
Iraq, which suffered a brutal ISIS insurgency before the group’s defeat there, requested that the prisoners be moved and has been prosecuting and interrogating them under Iraqi law in facilities designed for long-term detention and judicial processing, The Associated Press reported Thursday.
“We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security,” Cooper said.
U.S. and coalition forces operating under Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve led the planning, coordination and execution of the transfer, CENTCOM said.
The transfer will help prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria, task force commander Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert said.
The completion of the operation came after U.S. forces on Wednesday handed over the al-Tanf Garrison in Syria to local counterparts as part of a transition of the anti-ISIS mission.
Al-Tanf is strategically located along the borders of Iraq and Jordan and for years has been an important hub for the U.S. military’s campaign against the Islamic State.
U.S. forces remain poised to respond to any ISIS threats in the region, Cooper said in a separate statement Thursday.
“Maintaining pressure on ISIS is essential to protecting the U.S. homeland and strengthening regional security,” he said.
The United States maintains about 1,000 troops in Syria, primarily to support anti-ISIS efforts.
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve was established by CENTCOM in 2014 to advise, assist and enable partner forces fighting ISIS.
The group was territorially defeated in 2019, though U.S. officials have repeatedly warned that it still poses a threat in the region.
