ISIS

Controlled chaos: Terrorism is used as a political tool - opinion

Terrorism isn’t just a security threat; it’s a political tool exploited by actors who profit from instability.

|BySALEM ALKETBI
ISIS militants
Members of the Syrian Kurdish Asayish security forces gather at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate, on April 18, 2025.

Australia issues temporary ban on citizen from Syrian camp amid terror concerns

Thirty-four Australians in a northern Syrian facility holding families of suspected Islamic State militants are expected to return home after their release was conditionally approved by authorities.

|ByREUTERS
People walk at the Kurdish-run al-Hol camp, which holds relatives of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters in the northeastern Hasakeh governorate, on April 18, 2025.

Australia’s ISIS camp dilemma exposes Syria’s growing post SDF chaos - analysis

The ISIS detainees were mostly captured in 2019 when ISIS was defeated in its last enclave near the Euphrates River by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.

|BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese speaks on the Combatting Antisemitism, Hate and Extremism (Firearms and Customs Laws) Bill 2026 during a federal parliament sitting following the Bondi terror attack at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, January 20, 2026.

Albanese says won't help Australians in Syrian camp holding families of suspected IS terrorists

"We have a very firm view that we won't be providing assistance or repatriation," Albanese told ABC News.

|ByREUTERS

CENTCOM says up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be moved to Iraq from Syria

"Ultimately, up to 7,000 ISIS detainees could be transferred from Syria to Iraqi-controlled facilities," CENTCOM said.

JANUARY 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
U.S. soldiers attached to the Iowa National Guard sign GBU-31 munitions systems in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility Dec. 18, 2025 as the U.S. military launched large-scale strikes against dozens of Islamic State targets in Syria in retaliation for an attack on U.S. personnel.

'October 7 moment for Kurds': Israel must assist Syria's Kurds amid attacks, analysts tell 'Post'

Over the last decade, the SDF worked with the US and defeated ISIS in Syria. However, now the SDF is facing major setbacks, and Kurds fear they may be massacred.

JANUARY 21, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
A Kurdish internal security forces member stands guard with a weapon as Syrian Kurds attend a protest in solidarity with the people in the neighborhoods of Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh in Aleppo, in Hasakah, Syria January 7, 2026.

Erdogan, Trump discuss Syria, Gaza in call as Syria announces ceasefire with Kurdish forces

Turkey separately weighed whether Erdogan should join the US leader's "Board of Peace" initiative.

JANUARY 21, 2026ByREUTERS
US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan gesture as they pose for a photo, at a world leaders' summit on ending the Gaza war, amid a U.S.-brokered prisoner-hostage swap and ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, October 13, 2025.

US estimates 200 ISIS terrorists escaped Syrian prison, US official says

The Syrian ministry said Syrian army units and ministry special forces entered Shaddadi following the breakout.

JANUARY 20, 2026ByREUTERS, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Syrian government forces are deployed near Al-Aqtan prison on January 19, 2026 in Raqqa, Syria.

Syrian Kurds are fighting for survival – and Israel’s future is tied to theirs - opinion

Northern Syria is collapsing into chaos, and unless the West acts, the Kurds will pay the price.

JANUARY 20, 2026ByPAUSHALI LASS
Conoco gas plant after it came under the control of the Syrian government following the withdrawal of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in the countryside of Deir al-Zor, Syria, January 19, 2026.

Trump, al-Sharaa discuss preserving Kurdish rights, ongoing ISIS fight

In a phone call, Trump and Syrian President al-Sharaa discussed preserving Kurdish rights in Syria and ongoing cooperation to combat the Islamic State, following a recent integration deal.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS
Syiran President Ahmed al-Sharaa and US President Donald Trump.

SDF reports clashes near ISIS detention sites in Hasaka and Raqqa

The SDF reported armed group attacks on ISIS prisons in Syria's northeast as clashes with Syrian government forces raise fears of renewed instability and terrorism.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS, JAMES GENN
Men, suspected of being affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) group, gather in a prison cell in the northeastern Syrian city of Hasakeh on October 26, 2019.

What happens to ISIS detainees as Syria moves to take over SDF prisons - analysis

Amid fighting there are concerns ISIS detainees held in Syria could escape, while a deal foresees them being handed over to Damascus

JANUARY 19, 2026BySETH J. FRANTZMAN
Women and children queue during a joint security operation by Syria's Kurdish Internal Security Police Force, also known as Asayesh, and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) at Camp Roj where foreign relatives of people suspected of belonging to the Islamic State (IS) group are held.

Australia’s Parliament honors Bondi Beach shooting victims with moment of silence, speeches

The attack shocked the nation and led to calls for tougher action on antisemitism and gun control, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese pledging tougher action on both.

JANUARY 19, 2026ByREUTERS
A memorial of pebbles in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026.

Syrian government, SDF agree on immediate ceasefire on all fronts, state media says

Syrian state media reported that Damascus and the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces reached an immediate ceasefire after days of clashes in Kurdish-held areas of the northeast.

JANUARY 18, 2026ByREUTERS, JAMES GENN
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa signs a ceasefire agreement with the Syrian Democratic Forces, Damascus, January 18, 2026.