U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) deploy with armored military vehicles to secure roads leading to Gweiran Prison, which houses men accused of being ISIL terrorists in Hassakeh, northeastern Syria.
U.S. Central Command chief Adm. Brad Cooper spoke by phone with Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Jan. 21 to discuss a ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and cooperation on transferring ISIL detainees, CENTCOM said.
Cooper stressed the importance of Damascus “adhering to a ceasefire” and avoiding steps that could derail the process, according to a readout issued by CENTCOM spokesperson Capt. Tim Hawkins.
He briefed al-Sharaa on CENTCOM’s plan for “an orderly and secure transfer” of up to 7,000 detainees and set expectations for Syrian forces and “all other forces” not to interfere, the statement said.
CENTCOM said the two sides reaffirmed what it called a shared commitment to preventing an ISIL resurgence in Syria.
The call came as the U.S. military said it had begun moving detainees out of northeastern Syria, transferring 150 ISIL members from a facility in Hasakah province to secure locations in Iraq as part of a broader operation.
Damascus announced a four-day ceasefire with the SDF that took effect at 8 p.m. local time on Jan. 20, after government forces advanced in parts of northern and eastern Syria.
But the truce has faced early strain. Syrian authorities accused the SDF of attacks that they said killed 11 soldiers and wounded 25 on the first day of the deal.
In Hasakah province, government forces entered the sprawling al-Hol camp on Jan. 21 after the SDF withdrew from the site. The desert camp holds about 24,000 people, mostly women and children linked to suspected ISIL members, from more than 40 countries, according to officials and media reports.
Syria’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday declared al-Hol camp and security prisons taken from the SDF group as “restricted security areas.”
Thousands of suspected ISIL fighters are held in multiple detention facilities across northeastern Syria, while tens of thousands of relatives live in camps including al-Hol and the smaller al-Roj.
Syrian authorities have also reported an escape from the Shaddadi prison in Hasakah province, saying 120 detainees fled and 81 were later recaptured.
U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said this week the SDF’s role as the main anti-ISIL force on the ground had “largely expired,” arguing that Syria now has a functioning central government and has joined the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIL.
He said Washington was enabling the handover of detention sites and had “no interest” in a long-term military presence in northeastern Syria.
The "greatest opportunity" for Kurds lies in the "post-Assad transition under the new government," offering "a pathway to full integration" into a unified state with citizenship rights, cultural protections and political participation, Barrack added.
