After Trump declared ISIS defeated, US faces new test as detainees move amid Syria power shift
Is this competence or optics?
As the U.S. military moves thousands of ISIS detainees across the border into Iraq, Washington is effectively closing the door on the Kurdish era of counter-terrorism and trusting that a unified Syrian state — once its adversary — can now hold the line against a swelling insurgent threat.
The transfer is intended to prevent mass breakouts from facilities long run by Kurdish Syrian Defense Forces now that Syria's new government has taken control in northeastern Syria.
The shift carries consequences for Washington beyond the immediate fight against ISIS. A breakdown in detainee handling or security during the transition would undermine claims of a durable ISIS defeat — a milestone President Donald Trump declared in 2019 after U.S.-backed forces dismantled the group’s territorial caliphate.
Iraqi intelligence officials are warning that ISIS could again find space to operate amid Syria’s political and security transition, citing internal assessments that put the group’s strength as high as 10,000 fighters. United Nations estimates place the number far lower — about 3,000 Islamic State members across Syria and Iraq as of August 2025 — underscoring the uncertainty U.S. planners face as detention systems fracture, custody shifts across borders, and regional authority is rapidly reconfigured.
TRUMP VOWS 'VERY SERIOUS RETALIATION' AGAINST ISIS AFTER DEADLY SYRIA AMBUSH KILLS US SOLDIERS
Hamid al-Shatri, head of Iraqi intelligence, told The Washington Post recently that ISIS had grown from roughly 2,000 fighters to as many as 10,000 fighters in just over a year.
"This certainly does pose a danger to Iraq, because ISIS — whether it’s in Syria or Iraq or anywhere in the world — is one organization, and it will certainly try and find ground once more in order to launch attacks," al-Shatri said.
Brian Carter, a Middle East analyst at the Washington, D.C., free-market American Enterprise Institute think tank, cautioned that Iraqi assessments should be viewed in context, noting that Baghdad has long harbored deep concerns about Syria’s new leadership and its Islamist roots — factors that can shape how Iraqi officials assess the threat emanating from across the border.
Trump declared the U.S. had defeated ISIS in 2019 after U.S.-backed forces dismantled the group’s territorial caliphate. Since then, the group has partially reconstituted as an insurgent network, maintaining sleeper cells across the region.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and has yet to receive a reply
That persistence was underscored Dec. 13, 2025, when an ISIS-affiliated …
Is this competence or optics?
As the U.S. military moves thousands of ISIS detainees across the border into Iraq, Washington is effectively closing the door on the Kurdish era of counter-terrorism and trusting that a unified Syrian state — once its adversary — can now hold the line against a swelling insurgent threat.
The transfer is intended to prevent mass breakouts from facilities long run by Kurdish Syrian Defense Forces now that Syria's new government has taken control in northeastern Syria.
The shift carries consequences for Washington beyond the immediate fight against ISIS. A breakdown in detainee handling or security during the transition would undermine claims of a durable ISIS defeat — a milestone President Donald Trump declared in 2019 after U.S.-backed forces dismantled the group’s territorial caliphate.
Iraqi intelligence officials are warning that ISIS could again find space to operate amid Syria’s political and security transition, citing internal assessments that put the group’s strength as high as 10,000 fighters. United Nations estimates place the number far lower — about 3,000 Islamic State members across Syria and Iraq as of August 2025 — underscoring the uncertainty U.S. planners face as detention systems fracture, custody shifts across borders, and regional authority is rapidly reconfigured.
TRUMP VOWS 'VERY SERIOUS RETALIATION' AGAINST ISIS AFTER DEADLY SYRIA AMBUSH KILLS US SOLDIERS
Hamid al-Shatri, head of Iraqi intelligence, told The Washington Post recently that ISIS had grown from roughly 2,000 fighters to as many as 10,000 fighters in just over a year.
"This certainly does pose a danger to Iraq, because ISIS — whether it’s in Syria or Iraq or anywhere in the world — is one organization, and it will certainly try and find ground once more in order to launch attacks," al-Shatri said.
Brian Carter, a Middle East analyst at the Washington, D.C., free-market American Enterprise Institute think tank, cautioned that Iraqi assessments should be viewed in context, noting that Baghdad has long harbored deep concerns about Syria’s new leadership and its Islamist roots — factors that can shape how Iraqi officials assess the threat emanating from across the border.
Trump declared the U.S. had defeated ISIS in 2019 after U.S.-backed forces dismantled the group’s territorial caliphate. Since then, the group has partially reconstituted as an insurgent network, maintaining sleeper cells across the region.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and has yet to receive a reply
That persistence was underscored Dec. 13, 2025, when an ISIS-affiliated …
After Trump declared ISIS defeated, US faces new test as detainees move amid Syria power shift
Is this competence or optics?
As the U.S. military moves thousands of ISIS detainees across the border into Iraq, Washington is effectively closing the door on the Kurdish era of counter-terrorism and trusting that a unified Syrian state — once its adversary — can now hold the line against a swelling insurgent threat.
The transfer is intended to prevent mass breakouts from facilities long run by Kurdish Syrian Defense Forces now that Syria's new government has taken control in northeastern Syria.
The shift carries consequences for Washington beyond the immediate fight against ISIS. A breakdown in detainee handling or security during the transition would undermine claims of a durable ISIS defeat — a milestone President Donald Trump declared in 2019 after U.S.-backed forces dismantled the group’s territorial caliphate.
Iraqi intelligence officials are warning that ISIS could again find space to operate amid Syria’s political and security transition, citing internal assessments that put the group’s strength as high as 10,000 fighters. United Nations estimates place the number far lower — about 3,000 Islamic State members across Syria and Iraq as of August 2025 — underscoring the uncertainty U.S. planners face as detention systems fracture, custody shifts across borders, and regional authority is rapidly reconfigured.
TRUMP VOWS 'VERY SERIOUS RETALIATION' AGAINST ISIS AFTER DEADLY SYRIA AMBUSH KILLS US SOLDIERS
Hamid al-Shatri, head of Iraqi intelligence, told The Washington Post recently that ISIS had grown from roughly 2,000 fighters to as many as 10,000 fighters in just over a year.
"This certainly does pose a danger to Iraq, because ISIS — whether it’s in Syria or Iraq or anywhere in the world — is one organization, and it will certainly try and find ground once more in order to launch attacks," al-Shatri said.
Brian Carter, a Middle East analyst at the Washington, D.C., free-market American Enterprise Institute think tank, cautioned that Iraqi assessments should be viewed in context, noting that Baghdad has long harbored deep concerns about Syria’s new leadership and its Islamist roots — factors that can shape how Iraqi officials assess the threat emanating from across the border.
Trump declared the U.S. had defeated ISIS in 2019 after U.S.-backed forces dismantled the group’s territorial caliphate. Since then, the group has partially reconstituted as an insurgent network, maintaining sleeper cells across the region.
Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment and has yet to receive a reply
That persistence was underscored Dec. 13, 2025, when an ISIS-affiliated …
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