Baghdad, Jan 22 (NationPress) Iraq has officially received its first batch of 150 detainees affiliated with the Islamic State (IS), previously incarcerated in prisons across Syria, as announced by Iraqi officials. The detainees, comprising both Iraqi nationals and foreign fighters implicated in the murder of Iraqi civilians, were held in facilities operated by the Syrian Democratic Forces, according to a statement from Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, on Wednesday (local time).

The transfer was conducted in partnership with the international coalition focused on combating IS and these individuals will be relocated to official state correctional facilities. The statement further indicated that the quantity and schedule of subsequent transfers will depend on ongoing security evaluations, as reported by Xinhua news agency.

As per the US Central Command (CENTCOM), these detainees were transferred from a detention center in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure site in Iraq. This action is part of a larger initiative that may eventually see up to 7,000 IS detainees moved to facilities under Iraqi jurisdiction.

CENTCOM emphasized in a statement that ensuring a systematic and secure transfer is crucial to prevent any possibility of a breakout that could pose a direct threat to both the United States and regional security.

Over the previous year, US and allied forces have apprehended over 300 IS members throughout Syria and have eliminated more than 20 others, CENTCOM reported.

Adrian Shtuni, a fellow at the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism think tank, noted that by 2025, 21 years after IS's inception, its territorial dominance in Iraq and Syria has drastically declined.

At its peak, IS had approximately 80,000 militants, including over 42,000 foreign terrorists from more than 120 countries. In contrast, estimates by mid-2025 suggest that only between 1,500 and 3,000 fighters remain active in both Syria and Iraq, although the global threat remains.