10/17/2019 Syria (International Christian Concern) – Approximately 50 ISIS militants are being transferred from Syria to Iraq, according to Iraqi officials familiar with the matter. These militants are a part a larger group of ISIS fighters held captive by the Kurdish forces in Syria, numbering over 10,000 in all. This number includes approximately 2,000 fighters who joined ISIS from outside Syria, including Britain, the United States, and other countries in the Middle East. A small number of these fighters have reportedly been transferred to the custody of the United States in the last few weeks, although their current location and the total number of ISIS fighters being held by the U.S. is unknown.

While details regarding the 50 ISIS militants being relocated to Iraq are sparse, the transfer is expected to be completed on Friday and regional experts suggest that they may be being moved to Al Anbar, just south of the Nineveh Plains. This would put them very close to the historic homeland of Iraqi Christianity, a region that saw significant ISIS activity until recently and which suffers from the repercussions of the ISIS inhabitation to this day. The Nineveh Plains has traditionally enjoyed a Christian plurality, but the recent presence of ISIS and the current control of Iranian-backed militias in the area has made the region a dangerous place for Christians to remain.

This transfer comes in the midst of significant international concern regarding the fate of the Kurdish-held ISIS forces. Many international observers believe that the Kurds will be forced to release the prisoners in order to divert their resources to the current military activity with Turkey—potentially leading to a resurgence of ISIS in the region, and possibly a renewal of the conflict in the Nineveh Plains.

While it is still unclear whether the Kurds in Syria will be able to hold on to the ISIS prisoners currently under their care, it is certain that an increase of ISIS fighters in Iraq would have devastating consequences for the Iraqi Christians living in the Nineveh Plains and elsewhere.

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