Thousands of ISIS Militants Now Walking Free in Syria
20th January 2026
The army of Syria’s new government has released thousands of former members of the self-proclaimed Islamic State (ISIS) who were being held in prisons in the country’s northeast. Many of those freed previously fought alongside Islamist militias that are now part of the power structure in Damascus.
The development, confirmed by multiple local and regional sources, marks a turning point after months of reassuring messages to the international community about the supposed “moderation” of the new authorities.
No extremist Muslim ‘government’ can be trusted to suppress other Muslim extremists.