Iraq’s Al-Sadr warns of danger after “outlaws” freed from Syria prisons
Shafaq News– Najaf
Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of Iraq’s Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), on Monday accused “extremists” in Syria, without naming them, of releasing “outlaws” detainees, urging Damascus to hand over the Iraqis among them to Baghdad.
In a post on X, Al-Sadr warned that opening detention facilities and releasing such inmates “increase the level of danger,” referring to Iraqi ISIS members held in Syrian prisons. He also called on the Iraqi government to formally request that Jordan extradite former members and leaders of Iraq’s Baath Party, “women and men,” alleging the existence of “plans” for cooperation between Baathist elements and those detainees.
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) January 19, 2026
He urged Iraqi authorities to activate air defenses “to protect our holy sites” and “to protect the prisons,” raise alert levels across all official security forces, and tighten oversight of borders and crossings, holding the government responsible for any potential security breach, including weapons smuggling or the movement of terrorist elements, while demanding closer scrutiny and investigation into the presence of Syrian nationals inside Iraq.
The statement comes amid heightened concern over detention facilities in northeastern Syria. According to the United States Department of State, nearly 9,000 ISIS fighters are held in these prisons, including in Hasakah, Qamishli, and Raqqa. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) recently reported losing control of al-Shaddadi prison in Hasakah following repeated attacks by government-affiliated factions, while a patrol from the US-led Coalition entered Raqqa’s al-Aqtan prison after clashes involving SDF guards and government forces seeking to seize the facility.
Iraq, which shares a 618-kilometer border with Syria —nearly half of it running through Nineveh province— has long viewed instability across the frontier as a key security concern. Al-Sadr has previously cautioned against dealing with developments in Syria “naively,” urging authorities to reinforce border protections.
Read more: Syria’s calm: An end to threat or a start of a complex security phase for Iraq?
