US and Regional Countries Team Up to Resolve the Issue of ISIS Prisoners in Syria
Türkiye, the United States, Syria and Iraq have formed a working group to try to resolve the issue of ISIS group prisoners held in Syria, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in comments published Thursday.
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, or SDF, control large parts of northeast Syria bordering Türkiye and Iraq and oversee more than a dozen prison camps holding thousands of suspected ISIS fighters and their families.
US President Donald Trump asked the Syrian government to 'assume responsibility' for some 9,000 ISIS prisoners when he met Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa in Saudi Arabia on May 14.
Erdogan said a committee had been formed to work out what to do with the prisoners, particularly women and children held at refugee camps such as Al-Hol in northern Syria. His comments on the presidential website were released as he returned from a trip to Hungary.
'Iraq needs to focus on the issue of the camps,' Erdogan said. 'The vast majority of women and children in the Al Hol camp in particular belong to Iraq and Syria. They should do what is necessary for them.'
In 2014, ISIS declared a caliphate in large parts of Iraq and Syria and attracted tens of thousands of supporters from around the world. The extremists were defeated by a US-led coalition in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Tens of thousands of people linked to the group were taken to al-Hol camp close to the Iraqi border.
It is anticipated that the government in Damascus will take control of the prison camps, a move Erdogan said would make it easier to integrate the Kurdish forces in Syria.
Kurdish fighters in Syria have ties to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, which on May 12 agreed to dissolve and lay down its weapons following a four-decade insurgency against Türkiye.
Meanwhile, Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said Thursday that Türkiye will start exporting natural gas to provide electricity to Syria.
'We will soon start exporting gas that will reach Aleppo and Homs, with an annual contribution of approximately 2 billion cubic meters, or 1,200 to 1,300 megawatts, to the electricity production here,' he said during a joint news conference in Damascus.
Syrian Energy Minister Mohammed Bashir said a gas pipeline coming from Türkiye's Kilis would become operational in June. The heat from burning gas is used to create electricity by spinning a turbine that in turn powers a generator.
Bayraktar said the increase in gas exports represented a tripling of the present level. He added that Türkiye was helping Syria to exploit its own oil and gas resources as well as 'discovering new resources, on both land and sea, and using the economic values ... from these in Syria's reconstruction and infrastructure.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump's new travel ban; NATO spending demands spark global reactions
In this episode of W News Extra, presented by Leigh-Ann Gerrans, we unpack Donald Trump's sweeping travel ban targeting 12 countries, including Afghanistan, Haiti, and Iran, with partial restrictions on places like Cuba and Venezuela—moves critics say echo his earlier 'Muslim ban' and raise concerns about symbolic policymaking. Shane McGinley and Tala Michel Issa weigh in on the legal and humanitarian fallout, while Angie Wong reacts to Trump's claim that a trade deal with China has been struck. We also follow German Chancellor Friedrich Merz as he visits Washington to mend tensions, examine Trump's latest push for NATO countries to spend 5 percent of GDP on defense, and explore the shaky ground of US-Iran nuclear talks. And finally, Meghan Markle's viral hospital dance video stirs debate over royal privacy—and sausage rolls get star treatment at Madame Tussauds, while a hungry elephant raids a grocery store in Thailand. Guests:
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump attacks Musk as public feud escalates over tax-cut bill
President Donald Trump lashed out on Thursday against his ally Elon Musk, saying he was 'disappointed' by the billionaire's public opposition to the sweeping tax-cut and spending bill that is at the heart of Trump's agenda. 'Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore,' Trump said in the Oval Office, in his first direct response to Musk's criticism. 'He said the most beautiful things about me, and he hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that'll be next. But I'm, I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot.' Even as Trump was speaking, Tesla CEO Musk unleashed a series of critical responses on X, the social media site he owns. 'Without me, Trump would have lost the election,' he wrote. 'Such ingratitude.' Shares of electric vehicle maker Tesla were down 9 percent following the outbursts, to their lowest level since late February. The back-and-forth made it clear tensions had reached a boiling point between the world's most powerful man and the world's richest man, after weeks of speculation that they were headed for a clash of egos. Musk, whose other companies include rocket company and government contractor SpaceX and its satellite unit Starlink, spent nearly $300 million in the 2024 election in support of Trump and other Republican candidates. Starting on Tuesday, the tech executive unleashed a series of blistering attacks against what Trump calls his 'big, beautiful bill.' Musk called it a 'disgusting abominatio' that would deepen the federal deficit, amplifying a rift within the Republican Party that could threaten the bill's prospects in the Senate. Nonpartisan analysts say the bill could add $2.4 trillion to $5 trillion to the nation's $36.2 trillion in debt. Trump asserted that Musk's complaints were motivated by the proposed elimination of consumer tax credits for electric vehicles. Trump suggested that Musk was upset because he missed working for Trump, who gave Musk a praise-filled sendoff last week after the billionaire oversaw the president's federal bureaucracy cost-cutting campaign. 'He's not the first,' Trump said. 'People leave my administration ... then at some point they miss it so badly, and some of them embrace it and some of them actually become hostile.' Musk had signaled that he planned to step back from politics, saying last month he planned to substantially scale back his political spending. Friction between him and Trump could hurt Republicans' chances of keeping control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections. 'Kill the bill' Musk also wrote, 'Slim Beautiful Bill for the win,' adding 'KILL the BILL.' He followed that up by saying he was fine with Trump's planned cuts to electric vehicle credits as long as Republicans rid the bill of 'mountain of disgusting pork' or wasteful spending. Musk came into government with brash plans to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. He left last week having cut only about half of 1 percent of total spending. Musk's Department of Government Efficiency eliminated thousands of federal jobs and cut billions of dollars in foreign aid and other programs, causing disruption across federal agencies and fueling a wave of legal challenges. His increasing focus on politics provoked widespread protests at Tesla sites in the US and Europe, driving down sales and adding to investor concerns that Musk's attention was too divided. In departing the administration, Musk made it clear he planned to focus more of his time on his business empire. Following Trump's remarks, a White House official, speaking on background, underscored the shift in the once-close dynamic between Musk and Trump. 'The president is making it clear: this White House is not beholden to Elon Musk on policy,' the official said. 'By attacking the bill the way he did, Musk has clearly picked a side.'
Arab News
2 hours ago
- Arab News
Syria seizes weapons, missiles bound for Lebanon
BEIRUT: Syrian officials seized a shipment of weapons and ammunition, including guided anti-tank missiles, as they were being smuggled into Lebanese territory, the Ministry of Interior said on Thursday. The haul, which was concealed inside a truck, was confiscated by officials from the Directorate of Internal Security in Al-Qusayr. The city is about 15 km from the Lebanese border, opposite the northern Bekaa villages which are a Hezbollah stronghold. The operation was carried out 'after meticulous monitoring and carefully choosing the right time and place,' the ministry said. Images it published showed large quantities of crates that had been used to conceal the illicit cargo. The driver of the vehicle was arrested and the ammunition and weapons confiscated. 'Syrian authorities have intensified their security efforts in recent weeks, successfully combating weapons smuggling across the border, especially in areas close to Lebanon,' the ministry said. 'Significant quantities of light and medium weapons were seized in Al-Qusayr, some of which had been buried in farms and agricultural fields. A shipment of Grad missiles intended for smuggling out of the country was also confiscated.' It said also that the Directorate of Internal Security in Nawa, located in the Daraa countryside, had 'carried out a raid during which a quantity of light and medium weapons was seized and individuals involved in storage and smuggling were arrested.' Last week, officials from the Syrian and Lebanese sides met in Damascus to discuss measures agreed on in earlier talks to curb smuggling along the border between the two countries. Al-Qusayr served as Hezbollah's military headquarters during its 2013 intervention in the Syrian war, after its residents were forced to flee to Lebanon.
