What to do with IS prisoners? Captured forces a burden on allies

Allies are holding more than 2000 suspected IS fighters in Syria. The puzzle is what to do with them next.

A woman and her children, who were evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State sit outside Baghouz, Syria, Picture: AP

US-backed forces in Syria are holding more than 2000 suspect­ed Islamic State fighters, at least double previous estimates and an obstacle to Trump administration plans to withdraw American troops from Syria.

The new estimate compounds the challenge of relocating the captured Islamic State fighters to their home countries and makes it harder for the US-led coalition to wind down operations in Syria, even after the extremists no longer hold territory.

The development puts a greater burden on the US, which may now have to help its allies control and detain the captured Islamic State fighters.

The US military estimated late last year that the American-­supported Syrian Democratic Forces was holding 800 foreign fighters from 50-plus countries.

The number has risen by hundreds in the past two weeks, American defence officials said, as SDF members reclaimed territory from Islamic State and took suspected fighters into custody.

Defence officials cited another group of at least 1000 suspected Syrian and Iraqi extremist fighters in detention in Syria, a figure not previously disclosed.

The actual number of those fighters could be even higher, officials acknowledged.

“I would characterise the number of ISIS fighters currently in SDF custody as thousands,” Pentagon spokesman, navy commander Sean Robertson, said.

President Donald Trump said in December he wanted to remove all of the more than 2000 US troops from Syria.

He shifted course last month under pressure from US allies and US military and diplomatic officials and agreed to keep hundreds of American troops in place.

The numbers of Islamic State fighters detained by the SDF are likely to continue to shift in coming days as the US-backed forces continue to reclaim land from ­Islamic State and wind down the war, officials said.

At the weekend, more than 3000 people, including 500 suspected fighters and civilians, surrendered to the SDF around the eastern city of Baghouz, where SDF and ISIS are fighting over the last remnants of territory under the jihadists’ control.

The SDF said this week it had released 283 suspected Islamic State members as a “gesture of co-operation, fraternity and clemency”, saying those released had “no blood on their hands”.

The Kurdish and Arab fighters of the SDF, which the US considers the most effective fighting partner against Islamic State in northern Syria, had agreed to detain the terrorists as they captured them over the past few years, holding them in various camps in northern Syria.

As the US prepares to declare the end of Islamic State’s so-called caliphate, the physical terrain that up until now was controlled by the group, Washington has urged allies to take back foreign fighters to their respective countries.

Although scores of detainees have been returned to their home countries, US officials acknowledge the process has gone slowly.

“We recognise the strain this puts on the SDF and appreciate their willingness to assist with this important task,’’ Commander Robertson said.

Men walk to be screened after being evacuated out of the last territory held by Islamic State group militants, near Baghouz, eastern Syria. Picture: Felipe Dana/AP

Most nations have said they don’t want to reclaim their nat­ionals. Asking the SDF to continue holding the prisoners could require the US and its partners to give the SDF financial support and ensure the detention centres don’t violate international norms.

It also isn’t clear who would take custody of suspected Islamic State fighters who are Syrian.

“It creates a massive bottleneck for the SDF, which does not have the resources dedicated to house them, process them and find a means by which to repatriate them to their home countries,” said Nicholas Heras, a fellow with the Centre for a New American Security’s Middle East Security Program.

“Countries of origin have different reasons for wanting to keep those fighters in Syria, but they can’t be kept there indefinitely.”

Iraq has taken back 200 fighters and said it could take 300 more, officials said. Last month, Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi said Iraq would put ­foreign fighters suspected of launching attacks on Iraq on trial.

Iraqi nationals who are suspected Islamic State supporters or members can often use family and tribal connections that extend across the Syrian-Iraqi border to avoid detention.

“They can make their way back to Iraq without anyone having any idea where they are, what role they played in ISIS or their ability in the future to advance the goals of ISIS incognito within the Iraqi population,” Mr Heras said.

— The Wall Street Journal