How ISIS Fighters in Northern Syria Could Benefit from Turkey’s Ambitions

21st January 2025

2 minutes read

How ISIS Fighters in Northern Syria Could Benefit from Turkey's Ambitions

While the possibility of a Turkish attack on Kurdish militias is high, these militias point to another imminent danger: there are currently many supporters of the “ISIS” terrorist organization in prisons controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

According to DW Arabic, there are concerns that a potential attack on the SDF by Turkey could lead to the sudden release of members of this terrorist group. In such a case, they could not be kept under control, as the SDF announced.

At the same time, Turkey is trying to reassure the international community: it could take over the management of these prisons and prevent the release of ISIS members. “We will keep these ISIS members under control with our soldiers. As Turkey, we are ready for this,” said the Foreign Minister in a TV interview last week.

Mohammad Jalal Kol, a lawyer and expert on Syrian affairs from Abant Izzet Baysal University in Turkey, told DW Arabic, “In the event of a military operation, Turkey could manage these prisons under international law and continue detaining the prisoners.” According to Kol, this practice could be compared to the detentions carried out by the United States during the Iraq War.

Although the ISIS terrorist organization was officially defeated in March 2019, its fighters remain armed and active. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 108 civilians were killed in 2024 as a result of ISIS attacks. During the same period, 568 soldiers from Assad’s forces and Iranian militias were killed. ISIS members also killed 77 members of Kurdish militias.

The first attack by the group in 2025 occurred in Deir ez-Zor against Kurdish forces. In the past, ISIS members have repeatedly attempted to attack camps and prisons under Kurdish control. Some of these prisons are located directly adjacent to Turkey.

On September 2, 2024, General Michael Kurilla, the commander of U.S. Central Command, clarified that there are currently more than 9,000 ISIS fighters in at least 20 prisons. More than half of the imprisoned ISIS fighters are Syrians, followed by Iraqis. In addition to Iraqis and Syrians, there are around 2,000 fighters from 58 countries in the prisons, including 800 from European countries.

There are also camps where the wives and children of fighters live. Around 50,000 people reside in these camps, with the most famous being the Al-Hol camp, located just two hours from Turkey. The international community fears that these individuals, held in these camps “under inhumane conditions and against their will,” according to Amnesty International in 2016, may become further radicalized.