7,000 IS detainees to be shifted from Syria to Iraq as US starts massive move

This comes after rapid collapse of Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Syria triggered that uncertainty over the security of prisons and detention camps.

The U.S. military said on Wednesday that its forces have transferred 150 Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, announcing an effort that could eventually see 7,000 detainees moved out of Syria.

Iraqi security personnel patrols along a concrete wall on the Iraqi-Syrian border, in the town of al-Baghuz in the Al-Qaim district of western Iraq, (AFP)

The transfer comes after the rapid collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northeast Syria triggered uncertainty over the security of around a dozen prisons and detention camps they had been guarding.

In a statement, the U.S. military said the United States was able to transport 150 Islamic State fighters held at a detention facility in Hasakah, Syria, to a secure location in Iraq.

Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities, the statement added.

"We are closely coordinating with regional partners, including the Iraqi government, and we sincerely appreciate their role in ensuring the enduring defeat of ISIS," said U.S. Admiral Brad Cooper, the head of U.S. forces in the Middle East.

Later on Monday, U.S. Central Command said Cooper spoke with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. Cooper, the statement said, briefed al-Sharaa on the transfer of detainees and "expressed expectations for Syrian forces as well as all other forces to avoid any actions that could interfere."

Syria on Tuesday announced a ceasefire with Kurdish forces from whichit has seized swathes of territory in the northeast and gave them four days to agree on integrating into the central state, which their main ally, the United States, urged them to accept.

The lightning government advances in recent days and the apparent withdrawal of U.S. support for SDF's continued holding of territory represent the biggest change of control in the country since rebels ousted Bashar al-Assad 13 months ago.

A U.S. official told Reuters on Tuesday that about 200 low-level Islamic State fighters escaped Syria's Shaddadi prison, but Syrian government forces recaptured many of them.

There are more than 10,000 Islamic State members and thousands more women and children with ties to the group being held in Syrian prisons.