U.S. Official: We Identify ISIS Prisoners to Transfer the Most Dangerous Ones

SadaNews - The Director of the U.S. Center for Counterterrorism, Joe Kent, announced on Tuesday that efforts are underway to identify the most significant prisoners of the Islamic State in order to ensure their safe transfer from Syria to Iraq. The U.S. Center for Counterterrorism is affiliated with U.S. national intelligence. Kent stated in a post on his official account on the X platform that he had been in Baghdad in recent days to support the ongoing operation to transfer what he described as dangerous elements among ISIS detainees from Syrian prisons to Iraqi ones. Last Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced the launch of an operation to transfer ISIS prisoners from northeastern Syria to Iraq. On the same day, Brad Cooper, the commander of CENTCOM, informed Syrian President Ahmed al-Shara by phone about a plan to transfer 7,000 ISIS prisoners to Iraq. Meetings in Baghdad The Director of the U.S. Center for Counterterrorism mentioned that during meetings held this week with leaders of intelligence and counterterrorism services in Iraq, he discussed "the ongoing efforts to defeat ISIS." The U.S. intelligence official explained that he met with Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji, Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit al-Abbasi, and officials from Iraq's Counterterrorism Service. Joe Kent emphasized that Washington is committed, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, to "work closely" with its Iraqi partners to eliminate the threat posed by ISIS once and for all. The Iraqi National Security Council convened on Monday, chaired by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, and a government statement following the meeting emphasized the "importance of continued cooperation with the international coalition on the issue of prisoners (of ISIS), and the necessity for the international community to assume its responsibilities in this regard." The statement also noted that a "unified security committee has been formed to fully oversee the process of transferring elements of the organization and dealing with them, leading to their prosecution." Source: Al Jazeera + Agencies