Amid reports that the US may consider a withdrawal from eastern Syria, one of the looming challenges will be the continued presence of a large number of ISIS detainees there.
When the worldwide jihadist group was defeated in Syria in 2019, many of its members surrendered, including their families.
At the time, there was no easy solution for these detainees, who fell into the hands of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. The US now has an opportunity to do right and make sure to secure the detainees while working with the SDF and the new authorities in Damascus toward a positive solution.
The challenge is to stop kicking the can down the road. The SDF is an armed force that was backed to fight ISIS, but it is not backed with sufficient support to be able to deal with its fighters. It is also a “non-state” actor, meaning it can’t repatriate the ISIS members who fell into its hands. The US and the anti-ISIS coalition have not wanted these thousands of men and women to be released – because they could pose a threat. So, for almost six years now, eastern Syria has been in limbo.
Today, it is clear that Washington’s role in eastern Syria may not last forever, as there is also a new government in Damascus – which, as the ruling authority run by Ahmed al-Shaara, may become responsible for these ISIS members at some point. This is especially likely if there is a deal between Damascus and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or if the US withdraws chaotically.
US role in eastern Syria might not last
It is time to face reality. The detainees in eastern Syria and the residents of camps such as al-Hol need a solution for their future. According to various sets of data, there are 50,000-60,000 people at al-Hol and a smaller camp called Roj, which include almost 10,000 men who are linked to ISIS, up to 3,000 of them at Roj camp. The people at these camps also carry different nationality cards, as people from all over the world joined ISIS. There may be some 6,000 people with connections to the West, and some 15,000 Syrians and 17,000 Iraqis.
According to one report presented to the US Congress, in 2021, there were 90 incidents of violence at al-Hol camp, illustrating the continued threat that the ISIS members present. Among the female supporters of Islamic State, there are also many acts of violence against other women and children aimed at radicalizing the next generation.
IT IS BELIEVED that the thousands of people at al-Hol come from up to 55 countries, many of which refused to repatriate their citizens. In 2021, it was believed that 28,000 children at al-Hol were at risk of being radicalized by their ISIS-supporting mothers. At the time, it was also noted that the SDF “operate[s] 28 prisons that house approximately 12,000 captured ISIS fighters and supporters,” according to the congressional report.
Human rights groups have long argued that these camps need a solution. In 2023, Human Rights Watch reported that “nearly 80% of the children are under the age of 12, and far too young to have played an active role in ISIS, yet many governments refuse to take these young nationals back, citing national security concerns or fearing public backlash.”
This past June, CNN noted, “Also among the nearly 4,000 ISIS male detainees that the SDF says are held, there are an estimated 600 boys and young men detained as boys, according to Amnesty International… Many were brought to Syria, through no fault of their own, by their parents to live under ISIS rule. Now, they are coming of age in prison. Many have no idea why they are being held or what will happen to them.” UNICEF has called for the reintegration and repatriation of the children, as has Save the Children.
The problem is that the anti-ISIS coalition never stepped up to try to win the peace in this regard. The anti-ISIS campaign in Syria was narrowly tailored by US Central Command to be a “by, with, and through” approach – working with the SDF as purely a military mission. It doesn’t see the whole government approach the same way that military theorist Carl von Clausewitz would have called for in a campaign like this.
At the State Department and chancery levels, the operation in eastern Syria is seen as temporary, tactical, and transactional. No one wants to take responsibility for all these ISIS detainees and their families – despite the fact that about 70 countries joined the coalition.
Something must be done. The US has leverage here – if America withdraws from Syria, it could prioritize security at these facilities and use this as leverage for discussions with Damascus. Washington could support a deal between the SDF and Damascus that also secures the detainees.
Syria lacks security forces and needs capacity building in this respect; the US could assist in this effort and see al-Hol and other detention centers as a way to smooth the transition in eastern Syria so that all stakeholders – including Kurdish partners – receive a fair shake. This would be the best possible outcome in eastern Syria, rather than the chaos of walking away and leaving these facilities in a state of turmoil and uncertainty.