Issue of ISIS detainees to remain in SDF hands – Terrorism researcher
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – A researcher specializing in extremist groups and international terrorism said on Sunday that the issue of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees in northeastern Syria will remain in the hands of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Munir Adib, an expert in extremist movements and international terrorism, told North Press that the United States and the international community are unlikely to agree to transfer the responsibility of managing ISIS detainees to any other party, affirming that the SDF will retain control of the issue.
Last week, Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs Hakan Fidan urged the newly established Syrian administration under Ahmad al-Sharaa to assume responsibility for the management of prisons and camps housing thousands of ISIS members and their families.
Adib added, “The new government in Damascus is a caretaker government, and the SDF will not relinquish control over this matter at this time, as it does not have the authority to make decisions about such a critical issue.”
Adib suggested that the issue might be revisited in the future, possibly with a newly elected government after a new constitution is established and the country stabilizes. However, he emphasized that no immediate changes are expected.
Previously, the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), along with numerous human rights organizations, activists, and Syrian researchers, have called for the detainees’ cases to be referred to the International Criminal Court and for the U.N. Security Council to take up the matter. However, these efforts have not yielded success so far.