Following a prison break on January 19 in northeastern Syria, a number of ISIS prisoners remain unaccounted for. The chaos of the situation has made it difficult to trace these escapees, according to an analyst with insight into the ongoing developments.

While U.S. forces are in the process of relocating thousands of male ISIS militants from Syria to Iraq, their spouses remain in what are described as “fragile” detention camps, as per the analyst.

Syria analyst Nanar Hawach, speaking to Fox News Digital, mentioned, “Damascus asserts that most escapees have been recaptured, yet some are still at large.”

Hawach, affiliated with the International Crisis Group, added, “The exact count of those still missing is uncertain, as the chaos made comprehensive tracking a challenge.”

In response, Syrian security forces have heightened security measures at the Al-Hawl refugee camp.

“The U.S. transfer to Iraq covers male detainees from prisons, but those detained in camps remain in Syria under Damascus’ control.”

The instability also came ahead of reports that the U.S. is considering a complete withdrawal of troops from Syria. 

Charles Lister, director of the Syria program at the Middle East Institute, told the Wall Street Journal Thursday that “the main thing that has been holding the U.S. force presence in Syria over the last year is the detention facilities and the camps.”

U.S. Central Command confirmed Jan. 21 that it had begun transferring ISIS prisoners to Iraqi-controlled centers as an emergency effort to prevent a resurgence of the terror group amid deteriorating security conditions.

The move followed the prison escape at a detention center in Hasakah province during clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.

Militants broke out during the unrest, and while many were later recaptured, the full scope of the escape remains unclear.

U.S. forces have already transported roughly 150 ISIS fighters from a detention center in Hasakah to secure locations in Iraq, according to CENTCOM, which said as many as 7,000 detainees could be transferred.

An Iraqi intelligence general told The Associated Press Jan. 21 that Iraqi authorities received an initial batch of 144 detainees, with additional transfers planned by aircraft.

“The U.S. is facilitating transfers to Iraqi custody as an emergency measure because of the unstable security situation in northeast Syria,” Hawach said, noting that Iraq’s secure prisons “reduce the risk of further mass breakouts.”

“Human rights organizations have raised concerns about trial procedures in Iraq, but the priority right now is preventing escapes, and Iraq can deliver that.”

Hawach emphasized that the transfers apply only to male fighters held in prisons, not to women and children confined in camps such as the notorious al-Hawl.

ISIS wives and children remain in “fragile” Syrian detention camps under Damascus’ control while male fighters transfer to Iraq, leaving the detention crisis unresolved. ( Santiago Montag/Anadolu via Getty Image)

Al-Hawl camp has held tens of thousands of ISIS-affiliated women and children since the group’s territorial defeat in 2019.

“Women and children are held in camps, not prisons, and are processed differently than male fighters,” Hawach said.

“The long-term solution for women and children is repatriation to their home countries, but most governments have been reluctant.

“Some women are ideologically committed; some are not. Distinguishing between them requires case-by-case assessments that haven’t happened at scale.” 

Still, Hawach warned, the deeper problem remains unresolved.

“The detention system was always fragile, always underfunded, always a temporary solution waiting for permanent answers,” he said.

“The transfers to Iraq address the immediate crisis but don’t solve the underlying problem of what to do with this population long-term.”

U.S. special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack said this week that “the original purpose of the SDF as the primary anti-ISIS force on the ground has largely expired, as Damascus is now both willing and positioned to take over security responsibilities, including control of ISIS detention facilities and camps.”