The US military has launched a mission to transfer up to 7,000 Islamic State (IS) group fighters from prisons in north-eastern Syria to Iraq, as Syrian government forces take control of areas long controlled by Kurdish-led forces.
US Central Command said it had already moved 150 IS fighters from Hassakeh province to a secure location in Iraq.
The move aimed to prevent a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security, it added.
On Tuesday night, Syria's government announced a new ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) after the militia alliance withdrew from al-Hol camp, which holds thousands of relatives of IS fighters.
Separately on Wednesday, Syria's defence ministry said seven soldiers were killed in a drone attack by Kurdish forces in the Kurdish-dominated province of Hasakah.
The government and SDF had earlier blamed each other over the escape of suspected IS fighters from an SDF-run prison in Shaddadi, in southern Hassakeh.
Syria's interior ministry said on Monday night that its special forces and army soldiers had entered the town following the escape of around 120 [IS] terrorists from the prison. Search operations by the security forces resulted in the arrest of 81 of the fugitives, it added.
The SDF stated it had lost control of Shaddadi prison after Damascus-affiliated factions mounted a series of attacks, killing dozens of its fighters who had attempted to prevent a serious security catastrophe.
The SDF spokesman, Farhad Shami, claimed that approximately 1,500 IS members had escaped during the clashes.
Despite its weakened status, IS remains active in Syria, predominantly attacking Kurdish-led forces in northeastern regions in 2025.
The US, once the SDF's main ally, has shifted its focus to securing facilities that hold IS prisoners and facilitating dialogue between the SDF and the Syrian government.
US special envoy Tom Barrack noted that this moment presents an opportunity for a unified Syrian state with citizenship rights for all, suggesting a path forward in resolving the enduring conflicts in the region.
