The U.S. and Turkey Have Yet to Address Their ISIS Problem
Even after the two nations reached an agreement on a safe zone in northeastern Syria, thousands of imprisoned ISIS fighters remain scattered among refugee camps
After a long and tense standoff, the United States and Turkey appear headed toward reconciliation, or at least toward a begrudging truce: The two countries agreed this week on the establishment of a safe zone in northeastern Syria, putting to bed the chance of a Turkish military offensive in the region against America’s Kurdish allies.
But for the United States, there remains a larger geopolitical concern: the status and security of tens of thousands of ISIS prisoners and their families currently scattered among a series of refugee camps and makeshift prisons. Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) authorities have said as many as 70,000 people are being detained and cared for, and some 8,000 of them are foreign fighters who came to Syria to join ISIS.
A Kurdish official, speaking to GEN via a secure messaging service on the condition of anonymity, says the Western media has downplayed what are legitimate concerns about the SDF’s ability to both fight Turkey and protect the camps and jails.
