ISIS detainees

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Two small children unload white bags off of a big white truck with a Red Crescent sign on the side, at dusk. A woman fully covered in a black chador stands next to the truck with her back to the camera.

Syria’s Al-Hol Camp Is Closed, But Another Remains, as Does International Responsibility

Responsible states can end the chaos and suffering in remaining camps like Roj by repatriating detainees and upholding their obligations to their citizens.
A bus in a US military convoy transporting Islamic State group detainees being transferred to Iraq from Syria moves along a road on the outskirts of Qahtaniyah in Syria's northeastern Hasakah province on February 7, 2026. Iraq's judiciary announced on February 2 that it had begun investigations into more than 1,300 Islamic State group detainees who were transferred from Syria as part of a US operation. (Photo by Delil SOULEIMAN / AFP via Getty Images)

A Legal Black Hole: Does Iraq Have the Right to Detain Prisoners Transferred from Syria?

The Global Coalition Against Daesh faces legal and moral strain over mass detainee transfers from Syria to Iraq, testing international law and policy.
Members of Syrian security forces at the entrance of the al-Hol camp in the desert region of Hasakah province which holds around 24,000 people, including some 6,200 women and children from around 40 nationalities on January 21, 2026 in Al Hasakah, Syria. Syrian government forces have taken control over large swaths of northeast Syria amid clashes with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). In Al Hasakah governate, government forces have taken control of the infamous al-Hol (Al-Hawl) camp, previously controlled by the SDF, that houses families accused of having links to Islamic State fighters. (Photo by Abdulmonam Eassa/Getty Images)

We Told You So: Now What for Northeast Syria?

The chaos unfolding in the camps and prisons in NE Syria was predictable. The new Syrian government must expediently provide security and protection to the detainees.
A woman in a chador, a full black covering, walks toward the camera with a young child walking on either side with smiles on their faces, against a backdrop of dirt and sand amid a sea of ragged tents, with a large red container at the back right of the photo that may hold water, in Al-Hol camp in northeast Syria.

In a New Era for Syria, States Must Take Responsibility for Their Islamic State-Affiliated Prisoners and Families

It is a matter not only of justice, law, and human dignity, but also an obligation to relieve Syrians of this war legacy as they rebuild their society.
People sit in a truck on a dusty road with a brown single-story building in the background.

Assessing Amnesties and Re-assimilation in Northeast Syria

Using amnesties, trials, and “parole boards” for detainees in northeast Syria would be consistent with the requirements of international law.
The episode title appears with sound waves behind it.

The Just Security Podcast: The Evolution of U.S. Hostage Policy

Joining this episode are Jim Foley’s mother, Diane Foley, and Luke Hartig, a former senior director at the National Security Council.

Since James Foley’s Death, a `Moral Awakening’ in America on Hostages Held Abroad

August 19 will mark 10 years since our son, James W. Foley, an American freelance journalist, was publicly beheaded by ISIS to fuel the violent extremist group’s hate-filled…
A woman who is covered except for her eyes carries a child in her arms as she walks along a dirt road in front of ramshackle tents, a slightly older child at her side. The heads of two young boys show in the foreground of the image.

Deaths, Torture, and Arbitrary Detention in the Wake of the Islamic State in Syria: The US Responsibility to Act

More than 56,000 people, including 30,000 children, are being held with US support and many face systematic torture and grossly inhumane conditions.
A picture shows the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate. Children are pressed against a chain link fence during a security operation by the Kurdish Asayish security forces and the special forces of the Syrian Democratic Forces, on August 26, 2022. (Photo by DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)

Extended Detention Compounds Trauma for Thousands of Child Victims of Terrorism in Syria Camps

Countries must accelerate repatriation of their citizens, but governments need assistance to enhance their support systems for families.

Repatriating Alleged ISIS-Linked Men from Northeast Syria: The Start of Judicial Responses to the Political Stalemate

Recent rulings may force countries to reckon with their denial of due process to the accused and justice to the victims.
Image: BAGHOUZ, SYRIA - MARCH 24, 2019: A Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighter walks past destroyed vehicles in the final ISIL encampment on March 24, 2019 in Baghouz, Syria. The Kurdish-led and American-backed Syrian Defense Forces (SDF) declared on March 23 the "100 percent territorial defeat" of the so-called Islamic State, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The group once controlled vast areas across Syria and Iraq, a population of up to 12 million, and a "caliphate" that drew tens of thousands of foreign nationals to join its ranks. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Al-Kurdi Capture Raises Thorny Detention Issues

The capture raises a host of issues on detention and prosecution of terrorists in areas where the US does not have a large ground presence.
Children in Roj Camp, Northeast Syria.

A Visit to Northeast Syria Shows the Urgency for Governments to Repatriate Their Citizens, Many of Them Children, to Thwart ISIS

A majority of the approximately 72,000 detainees from 57 countries are children, and the militant group is targeting youths for recruitment.
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