US thwarted near-catastrophic prison break of 6,000 ISIS fighters in Syria

EXCLUSIVE: This was the benignant of situation interruption officials accidental could person changed the region, and possibly adjacent the world, overnight.

Nearly 6,000 ISIS detainees, described by a elder U.S. quality authoritative arsenic "the worst of the worst," were being held successful bluish Syria arsenic clashes and instability threatened the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, the guards liable for keeping the militants locked distant and preventing a feared ISIS resurgence. U.S. officials believed that if the prisons collapsed in the chaos, the consequences would beryllium immediate.

"If these 6,000 oregon truthful got retired and returned to the battlefield, that would fundamentally beryllium the instant reconstitution of ISIS," the elder quality authoritative told Fox News Digital.

In an exclusive interview, the authoritative walked Fox News Digital measurement by measurement done the behind-the-scenes cognition that moved thousands of ISIS detainees retired of Syria and into Iraqi custody, describing a multi-agency scramble that unfolded implicit weeks, with quality warnings, accelerated diplomacy and a swift subject lift.

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ISIS wives and children stay successful "fragile" Syrian detention camps nether Damascus power portion antheral fighters transportation to Iraq, leaving detention situation unresolved. ( Santiago Montag/Anadolu via Getty Image)

The risk, the authoritative explained, had been gathering for months. In precocious October, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard began to measure that Syria’s modulation could extremity into upset and make the conditions for a catastrophic jailbreak.

The ODNI sent the authoritative to Syria and Iraq astatine that clip to statesman aboriginal discussions with some the SDF and the Iraqi authorities astir however to region what the authoritative repeatedly described arsenic the astir unsafe detainees earlier events overtook them.

Those fears sharpened successful aboriginal January arsenic warring erupted successful Aleppo and began spreading eastward. Time was moving retired to forestall catastrophe. "We saw this terrible situation situation," the authoritative said.

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A combatant of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) holds an ISIL emblem and a limb connected a thoroughfare successful the metropolis of Mosul, June 23, 2014.  (Reuters Photo)

According to the source, the ODNI oversaw regular coordination calls crossed agencies arsenic the concern escalated. The authoritative said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was "managing the time to day" connected argumentation considerations, portion the ODNI drove a moving radical that kept CENTCOM, diplomats and quality officials aligned connected the urgent question: however to support astir 6,000 ISIS fighters from slipping into the fog of war.

The Iraqi government, the authoritative said, understood the stakes. Baghdad had its ain reasons to determination quickly, fearing that if thousands of detainees escaped, they would spill crossed the borderline and revive a menace Iraq inactive remembers successful visceral terms.

The authoritative described Iraq’s information bluntly: leaders recognized that a monolithic breakout could unit Iraq backmost into a "2014 ISIS is connected our borderline concern erstwhile more."

The U.S. Embassy successful Baghdad, the authoritative said, played a pivotal relation successful smoothing the diplomatic runway for what would go a large logistical undertaking.

Then came the carnal lift. The authoritative credited CENTCOM’s surge of resources to marque the program existent connected the ground, saying that "moving successful helicopters" and different assets enabled detainees to beryllium removed successful a compressed timeframe.

"Thanks to the efforts… moving successful helicopters, moving successful much resources, and past conscionable logistically making this happen, we were capable to get these astir 6000 retired successful the people of conscionable a fewer weeks," the authoritative said.

ISIS FIGHTERS STILL AT LARGE AFTER SYRIAN PRISON BREAK, CONTRIBUTING TO VOLATILE SECURITY SITUATION

A presumption of Hol Camp, wherever families linked to the Islamic State radical are being held, successful Hasakah province, Syria, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2026. (Izz Aldien Alqasem/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The SDF, helium said, had been securing the prisons, but its attraction was strained by warring elsewhere, fueling U.S. fears that a azygous breach could spiral into a wide escape. Ultimately, detainees were transported into Iraq, wherever they are present held astatine a installation adjacent Baghdad International Airport nether Iraqi authority.

The adjacent phase, the authoritative said, is focused connected recognition and accountability. FBI teams are successful Iraq enrolling detainees biometrically, the authoritative said, portion U.S. and Iraqi officials analyse what quality tin beryllium declassified and utilized successful prosecutions.

"What they were asking america for, basically, is giving them arsenic overmuch quality and accusation that we person connected these individuals," the authoritative said. "So close now, the precedence is connected biometrically identifying these individuals."

The authoritative said the State Department is besides pushing countries of root to instrumentality work for their citizens held among the detainees.

"State Department is doing outreach close present and encouraging each these antithetic countries to travel and prime up their fighters," helium said.

While the transportation focused strictly connected ISIS fighters, the elder quality authoritative said families held successful camps specified arsenic al-Hol were not portion of the operation, leaving a large unresolved information and humanitarian challenge.

ISIS EXPLOITING SYRIA’S CHAOS AS US STRIKES EXPOSE GROWING THREAT

Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters airs for a photograph with the American emblem connected signifier aft a SDF triumph ceremonial announcing the decision of ISIL successful Baghouz was held astatine Omer Oil Field connected March 23, 2019 successful Baghouz, Syria.  (Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The camps themselves were nether abstracted arrangements, the authoritative said, and work shifted arsenic power connected the crushed evolved. 

According to the official, the Syrian Democratic Forces and the Syrian authorities reached an knowing that Damascus would instrumentality implicit the al-Hol camp, which holds thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and children.

"As you tin spot from societal media, the al-Hol campy is beauteous overmuch being emptied out," the authoritative said, adding that it "appears the Syrian authorities has decided to fto them spell free," a script the authoritative described arsenic profoundly troubling for determination security. "That is precise concerning."

The destiny of the families has agelong been viewed by counterterrorism officials arsenic 1 of the astir complicated, unresolved elements of the ISIS detention system. Many of the children person grown up successful camps aft ISIS mislaid territorial control, and immoderate are present approaching warring age, raising fears astir aboriginal radicalization and recruitment.

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Iraqi information forces airs with ISIS emblem which they pulled from University of Anbar connected July 26, 2015. Forces clashed with ISIS militants wrong the compound. (Reuters)

For now, the authoritative said, quality agencies are intimately tracking developments aft a accelerated cognition that, successful their view, prevented thousands of experienced ISIS militants from reentering the battlefield astatine erstwhile and perchance reigniting the group’s warring force. 

"This is simply a uncommon bully quality communicative coming retired of Syria," the authoritative concluded.