Pentagon pushes to accelerate ISIS detainee repatriations from Syria
Uncertainty about Syria’s long-term stability and the the US military’s future presence in the country have increased urgency among some Pentagon officials to further reduce the population of nearly 30,000 suspected ISIS-associated detainees in the camps.
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s top headquarters for operations in the Middle East wants to accelerate a years-long effort to repatriate thousands of remaining Islamic State (ISIS) foreign detainees and their family members from makeshift internment camps in Syria, amid uncertainty about the country’s future stability and the presence of US troops there.
US Central Command (CENTCOM) has set up a new office to more directly facilitate repatriations of ISIS detainees to their home countries, CENTCOM’s top commander said during a conference organized by the Iraqi government on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly on Friday.
“Today, I join you all in calling on every nation with detained or displaced personnel in Syria to return your citizens,” US Navy Adm. Brad Cooper told attendees at the conference.
“This cannot be about words. This has to be meaningful action,” Cooper urged.
