The Global Story: Is ISIS having a resurgence in Syria?
Global News Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 8.2K Ratings
🗓️ 8 February 2026
⏱️ 28 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The US military has begun to transfer up to 7000 Islamic State (IS) group detainees held in prisons in Syria to Iraq, which officials say is to prevent prisoners breaking out and regrouping. The transfer comes weeks after the US led large-scale strikes on IS group targets in Syria. The move comes after clashes between the Syrian government and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which last week ended in a deal that would see the gradual integration of Kurdish forces and institutions into the state, and transfer control of the prisons to Damascus. Today we talk to Josh Baker, investigative journalist and host of the BBC podcast I Am Not A Monster, about the state of the IS group, and whether the country’s instability could lead to a resurgence in Syria
The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. For more episodes, just search 'The Global Story' wherever you get your BBC Podcasts.
Producers: Sam Chantarasak and Lucy Pawle Senior news editor: China Collins Mix: Travis Evans
Photo: A member of the Syrian security forces stands in front of the gate of the Al-Hol camp, which houses families of suspected Islamic State (IS) group fighters. Credit: Mohammed al-Rifai/EPA/Shutterstock
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | BBC Sounds, Music, Radio, Podcasts. |
| 0:05.7 | Hey there, I'm Asma Khalid. |
| 0:07.9 | And I'm Tristan Redmond, and we're here with a bonus episode for you from the Global Story podcast. |
| 0:13.1 | The world order is shifting. Old alliances are fraying and new ones are emerging. Some of this |
| 0:19.7 | turbulence can be traced to decisions made in the United States. |
| 0:23.4 | But the U.S. isn't just a cause of the upheaval. |
| 0:26.7 | Its politics are also a symptom of it. |
| 0:29.8 | Every day we focus on one story, looking at how America and the world shape each other. |
| 0:35.0 | So we hope you enjoy this episode. |
| 0:37.1 | And to find more of our show, just search for the global story wherever you get your BBC |
| 0:42.9 | podcasts. |
| 0:44.9 | In the past few weeks, the U.S. military has launched a steady stream of airstrikes in Syria. |
| 0:51.7 | U.S. officials say they're targeting the group known as the Islamic |
| 0:54.7 | state, ISIS, in part its retaliation for an attack on U.S. forces in the region last December. |
| 1:01.2 | Secretary of War, Pete Hagseth, calls new airstrikes-tronk, tonight in Syria, a declaration of vengeance |
| 1:07.0 | against ISIS terrorists. |
| 1:09.7 | The U.S. military has struck more than 50 ISIS targets in the |
| 1:14.1 | past two hours. We hit every side flawlessly, and we are restoring peace through strength. We're all over |
| 1:20.0 | the world. These strikes also come against the backdrop of a recent jailbreak in which more than |
| 1:26.4 | a hundred militants escaped from a |
| 1:28.4 | prison in Syria, raising fresh questions about the security and fate of ISIS detainees. |
| 1:34.8 | And so now the U.S. military is in the midst of transferring up to 7,000 prisoners from Syria |
... |
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