12,000 ISIS Militants in 7 Prisons in Northeastern Syria

Syrian Democratic Forces and US troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces and US troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)
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12,000 ISIS Militants in 7 Prisons in Northeastern Syria

Syrian Democratic Forces and US troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)
Syrian Democratic Forces and US troops are seen during a patrol near Turkish border in Hasakah, Syria (File Photo: Reuters)

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) announced that about 12,000 suspected ISIS militants are being held in seven prisons in northeastern Syria.

Apart from Syrians, the number of imprisoned Iraqis is estimated at 4,000, and there are about 2,000 fighters from 50 different countries, including about 800 from Western and European origins, with about 1,200 from Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African countries.

The SDF fears that if the rest of the areas under its control are attacked by Turkey, extremists in detention centers might flee.

The United States and Turkey agreed to reduce security concerns about the fate of thousands of ISIS prisoners held in SDF prisons. Extremists' families are in displacement and asylum camps in northeastern Syria, most notably al-Hol camp which houses thousands of ISIS families.

Over the past two days, several riots and incidents erupted after Turkey launched a large-scale attack on areas east of the Euphrates and declared a fragile truce.

In an interview with the Kurdish channel Ronahi earlier this week, commander of SDF, Mazloum Abdi, announced that so far, the US has not ended their alliance against ISIS, adding that the issue of extremists concerns the entire world.

Abdi explained that SDF decides the fate of ISIS prisoners and not Turkey nor the Syrian regime, especially after Syrian forces had entered a number of cities and towns east of the Euphrates.

He asserted that no country will be in charge of the prisoners’ file after the US withdrew part of its troops.

“We are the ones who arrested them, and they are with us. We will decide [their fate].”

The United States and the Kurdish autonomous-administration have repeatedly called on the concerned countries to take back their citizens and prosecute them on their territories, as the issue poses a security, administrative, and financial burden on the region.

Abdi indicated that if the countries are interested in the fate of ISIS members originating from their country and consider them a threat, they should communicate with the SDF to reach an agreement.

“We are ready to assist anyone who wants to cooperate with us, but we refuse to discuss the fate of those [ISIS fighters] of the countries that refuse to cooperate with us.”

In April, 18 children were returned to France, 16 fighters and children were returned to the United States, and 8 children were sent back to Australia. Also, 10 persons, including 6 orphans, were returned to Germany, 7 to Sweden, and 5 to Norway.

Countries say these children are orphans, and their parents are likely to have been killed in coalition airstrikes.



Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 15

A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
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Gaza Civil Defense Says Israeli Strikes Kill 15

A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled
A man carries the body of a child during the funeral of Palestinians killed overnight in Israeli attacks on a tent and on people seeking aid, according to Gaza's health ministry, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 4, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled

Gaza's civil defense agency said Friday that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people, after nearly 21 months of war in the Palestinian territory.

Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the territory's population of more than two million.

Gaza civil defense official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that seven people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on displaced people's tents near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on tent encampments on the coast of Khan Yunis, including one that killed two children early Friday.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates, but noted it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

On Thursday, the agency reported that 73 people were killed in Israeli strikes.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense.

Israel's military campaign has killed at least 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry.