US military negotiates handover of Syria's ISIS prisons as Kurds withdraw
The US military has largely stood down as Syrian government forces moved into Kurdish-held areas of northeast Syria, raising concerns about ethnic violence and the security of prisons holding ISIS detainees.
WASHINGTON — A surprise advance by Syrian government forces into areas of northeast Syria, which had been under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, has left US military officials scrambling to negotiate with both sides over control of camps and prisons holding tens of thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees across the country’s multiethnic northeast.
The lightning offensive that saw government forces cross the Euphrates River into majority-Arab areas like Raqqa and oil-rich eastern Deir Ezzor province over the weekend as SDF forces retreated has led to concerns about potential breakouts of ISIS prisoners along with fears of violence against Kurdish and other ethnic minorities.
American military officers on Tuesday were in negotiations with “both sides” in the hope of managing a smooth handover of several facilities holding ISIS members and their families, including the al-Hol and al-Roj camps, officials briefed on the matter told Al-Monitor. One US official briefed on the discussions described the talks as “fast and furious.”
Meanwhile, US envoy Tom Barrack was leading Washington's diplomatic engagement with Damascus on the broader political situation, military officials said.
