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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former CNN anchor Don Lemon was expected to plead not guilty on Friday to charges connected to his coverage of protests over federal immigration enforcement in Minnesota.

Lemon, now a freelance journalist, followed protesters who entered a St. Paul church on Jan. 18. He live streamed the demonstration against a pastor there who protesters said works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lemon, 59,was arrested on Jan. 30, in a federal prosecution that's drawn criticism from news media and free speech advocates. A federal grand jury returned theindictmentagainst him and eight co-defendants connected to that church protest.

Attorney General Pam Bondicalled the church protesta "coordinated attack on Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota."

Lemon was charged with conspiracy against the rights of religious freedom at a place of worship and injuring, intimidating and interfering with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship.

The National Association of Black Journalists said the arrest of Lemon and fellow freelancer Georgia Fort are part of "the government's escalating effort and actions to criminalize and threaten press freedom under the guise of law enforcement."

"A government that responds to scrutiny by targeting the messenger is not protecting the public, it is attempting to intimidate it, and considering recent incidents regarding federal agents, it is attempting to distract it,"according to an NABJ statement.

Harmeet Dhillon, the Trump administration's top civil rights official in the Justice Department, said that there's no precedent for using statutes to protect worshippers against journalists covering an event.

"In all these years up until I was the assistant attorney general for civil rights, nobody ever used that houses of worship part to prosecute protesters or criminals blocking access to a house of worship, so we've started to do that,"Dhillon has said.

Border Patrol and ICE agents have carried out raids in and around Minneapolis, leading to mass protests around the region.Border "czar" Tom Homansaid Thursday that the immigration enfrocement operation there would end.

Federal authorities fatally shotMinneapolis residentsAlex Pretti, 37,andRenee Good, 37,during these clashes.

Good appeared to be drivingaway from federal agents on Jan. 7 when she was fatally shot, while Pretti, a nurse who worked with veterans,was helping a womanwho'd been shoved to the ground when he was killed on Jan. 24.

TheTrump administrationlabeled both U.S. citizens as"domestic terrorists"with no immediate evidence the shooting victims had sought to harm federal agents when they were shot at close range.

Before taking office, Trump had complained about what he described as the weaponization of federal authority against political enemies.

Trump's Department of Justice created a "Weaponization Working Group"meant to root out "abuses of the criminal justice process" by federal law enforcement.

The Trump administration has been scrambling to issue a report when the working group's leader Ed Martin,who took over inMay,was removed from his earlier this monthwith no public explanation.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Selina Guevara reported from St. Paul, Minnesota, and David K. Li from Los Angeles.

Once you've had a car for a decade, you might figure that it would no longer be part of a recall. But that's not the case for hundreds of thousands of older model cars after Stellantis, the maker of Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram, issued a "do not drive" warning. The issue stems from the Takata airbag recall, which lots of people still haven't gotten fixed. Here's what you need to know about the Stellantis warning.

What's the Takata Airbag Issue?

Japanese parts supplier Takata began manufacturing airbags with an explosive flaw in the early 2000s. Over time, the chemical propellant inside the airbag can degrade, which can lead to the airbag rupturing when it's deployed and sending metal fragments into the car, injuring anyone inside. So far, there have been 28 deaths associated with the defective Takata airbags,according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, along with hundreds of injuries.

In total, 67 million vehicles have been recalled in the U.S. for defective Takata airbags over the last decade. It's the largest ever such recall in U.S. history, according to Reuters.

Which Vehicles Are Affected?

This week, Stellantis issued a new "do not drive" warning related to the Takata airbag recall. Though tens of millions of airbags have been replaced by various car makers, there are at least 225,000 Stellantis vehicles that have not been repaired.

"This action is intended to accelerate the repair of the remaining affected vehicles to safeguard owners, their families and the general public from the risk of serious injury or death," the car maker said in a statement.

Stellantis has performed repairs on about 95% of its recalled vehicles, which amounts to about 6.6 million cars.

These are the vehicles that are included in Stellantis' "do not drive" warning:

• 2003 to 2016 Dodge Ram and Dodge Sprinter

• 2004 to 2009 Dodge Durango

• 2005 to 2012 Dodge Dakota

• 2005 to 2008 Dodge Magnum

• 2006 to 2015 Dodge Charger

• 2008 to 2014 Dodge Challenger

• 2007 to 2009 Chrysler Aspen

• 2007 to 2008 Chrysler Crossfire

• 2005 to 2015 Chrysler 300

• 2007 to 2016 Jeep Wrangler

If you have any of these vehicles but you have not gotten its Takata airbags fixed (or if you do not know), you should stop driving the car until you do. You can take it to a Stellantis dealership where they will complete the repairs free of charge.

You can check your car's recall status by calling 833-585-0144 or by entering its VIN on theNational Highway Traffic Safety Administration's recall status website.

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Nikita and his wife, Oksana, fled Russia in desperation two years ago, believing America was their only hope of giving their three children a life free of fear and oppression.

Instead, those children are growing up behind the razor-wire fences of a South Texas detention center, among hundreds of other families swept up in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown.

Over their four months at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center — aremote, prisonlike facilitythat has drawn mounting scrutiny over what human rights advocatesdescribe as inhumane conditions— Nikita and Oksana say their children have endured indignities they never imagined possible in the United States.

Worms in their food. Guards shouting orders and snatching toys from small hands. Restless nights under fluorescent lights that never fully go dark. Hours in line for a single pill.

"We left one tyranny and came to another kind of tyranny," Nikita said in Russian. "Even in Russia, they don't treat children like this."

NBC News spoke with the family over Zoom this week and reviewed their lawyer's request for their release, as well as dozens of pages of medical records. For an hour and a half on the video call, Nikita, an engineer, and Oksana, a nurse, described how their months at Dilley have worn down their children — physically, emotionally and academically. Their two oldest sat behind them in a drab conference room, doodling or staring blankly at the screen. The preschooler wandered the room, swinging a thin plastic rod from a set of window blinds like a toy sword.

The couple asked to be identified only by their first names because they fear retaliation if deported back to Russia, where Nikita says he spoke out against President Vladimir Putin's regime.

Their story offers a glimpse of what children are enduring in prolonged confinement as the Trump administration expands family detention.

Kirill, 13, who once taught himself to play piano and attended music school, spends most days withdrawn, waking at night with anxiety and panic attacks, his parents said.

Konstantin, 4, a sociable boy, is often frightened by loud noises and guards, his parents said. He once cried for hours after a small toy airplane was confiscated.

Kamilla, 12 — a dancer who loved to perform — now has partial hearing loss in one ear after what her parents say was a poorly treated infection. For weeks, she counted down the days until her birthday, telling NBC News she had only one wish.

"To get out of here," she said.

On Monday, the family's attorney, Elora Mukherjee, filed a request for their immediate release on medical grounds. In the letter, Mukherjee, a Columbia Law School professor and director of its Immigrants' Rights Clinic, wrote that the children had been detained for more than 120 days, more than six times the 20-day limit set in afederal court agreement governing the detention of minors. She argued that their health has deteriorated as a result.

"Kamilla should not be spending her birthday in prison," Mukherjee said. "She has done nothing wrong."

In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security defended holding the family while their asylum case is pending. It said the Dilley facility "is retrofitted for families" to ensure children's well-being and accused the media of "peddling hoaxes" about poor conditions in immigrant detention centers.

"The Trump administration is not going to ignore the rule of law or release unvetted illegal aliens into the country," the statement said. "All of their claims will be heard by an immigration judge and they will receive full due process."

CoreCivic, the company that operates Dilley under a federal contract, has deferred questions about the facility to DHS and said in statements that the health and safety of detainees is its top priority.

The family's detention comes as Trump immigration officials revive and expand large-scale family confinement. Past presidents used family detention in limited circumstances, and the Biden administration largely halted the practice, releasing most asylum-seeking families while their cases moved forward. Under Trump, authorities are sending families to Dilley in significant numbers and reportedly holding them for weeks or months.

The facility drew widespread national attention last month after a photograph of5-year-old Liam Conejo Ramos, wearing a blue bunny hat as he was led away by officers, spread online, renewing concerns about conditions inside Dilley. Since last spring, lawyers and advocates have complained of inadequate medical care, contaminated food and minimal schooling for children held there.

DHS has said family detention is necessary to keep families together while it works to deport them.

Nikita and Oksana's journey to Dilley began in October. After fleeing Russia in 2024 and spending more than a year in Mexico trying to determine the best path to safety in the U.S., Nikita drove his family to the Otay Mesa port of entry and requested asylum, telling an agent that his activism against the Russian government had put them at risk. An asylum officer later found the family had a credible fear of persecution, according to Mukherjee. But rather than being released into the U.S. while their case moved forward, they were taken into custody.

After five days in frigid federal holding cells — where the family says the children slept under foil blankets on thin mats — they were transferred to Dilley, expecting to wait there for a couple weeks at most.

Their plight reflects what advocates describe as an impossible choice facing many Russian asylum-seekers. After Russia's invasion of Ukraine, anti-war activists, online critics and military draft resisters fled the country by the tens of thousands, fearing imprisonment or worse. With Europe largely closed to Russian nationals, many turned to the U.S. southern border as one of the few remaining paths to protection, believing America would be "a safe harbor for those who strive for freedom and democracy," said Dmitry Valuev, president of Russian America for Democracy in Russia, a group that has advocated for Russians trapped in U.S. immigration centers.

Instead, Valuev said, some now find themselves detained indefinitely.

"And they don't understand what for, because they are not criminals," Valuev said. "They came to the United States to contribute to society, to their new home. They don't want to become illegal immigrants. They want to obey the law."

Inside Dilley, Nikita and Oksana said, the days blur together.

They wake at 6 a.m. for morning routines and breakfast. After that, there is little to do. Time is measured in lines — lines for food, the medical window and the library.

The children compete for markers. Each child can have only two at a time, the couple said, and parents must show their IDs to borrow them. While one child draws, others must wait. In the library, they said, there are only four children's books in Russian: "The Wizard of the Emerald City," "Alice in Wonderland," "Pushkin's Fairy Tales" and poems by Korney Chukovsky. With that limited selection and little education beyond word searches, the children have effectively stopped reading.

If adults or children manage to get computer time, it is tightly restricted. Most websites are blocked. Email is limited. News is often inaccessible. YouTube has been banned.

When someone falls ill, the daily routine can become grueling. Nikita and Oksana described standing outside for hours — sometimes in rain, wind or cold — waiting for a worker to dispense medicine. Before leaving, they said, children are required to open their mouths so staff can confirm the medication has been swallowed.

"This place is not intended for the prolonged stay of children," Oksana said.

Nikita nodded.

"Every day you think it could not be worse," he said. "And then the next day something else happens."

Food is among the biggest struggles, they said, echoing complaints registered in dozens of sworn declarations filed in federal court on behalf of detained parents and children.

Meals are greasy, spicy and repetitive, the couple said — the same limited options for adults and children alike. The couple described finding mold and worms in vegetables. After one such incident, they said, several children vomited.

On Nov. 16, a mental health counselor recorded in Kamilla's medical records that her mother reported the girl had lost her appetite after being "served food that contained worms."

A week later, the couple said, children were told to gather in the gym for what they believed would be a Thanksgiving celebration. Excitement spread as families saw tables set with turkey, sandwiches, pastries and pies, they said. The children waited expectantly. But when a parent asked when the celebration would begin, Oksana said, staff told them the holiday meal was for employees, not detainees.

The children, she said, watched despondently as the feast was packed away.

DHS didn't comment on the alleged incident but said in the statement that dieticians evaluate meals served at Dilley to ensure quality.

Sometimes workers make light of their misery, Nikita said. He recalled showing an officer a piece of moldy cabbage. The guard, he said, put it in his mouth and declared it fine — before gagging and spitting it out.

Another time, when Nikita asked why his family was being held beyond the 20-day limit, he said a guard told him the long-standing federal settlement setting minimum standards for detaining immigrant children had been overturned. Only later did he learn that wasn't true.

"In Russia, police tell us, 'We are the law, as we say goes,'" Nikita said. "We came here, and they tell us exactly the same thing."

Kamilla's earache and hearing troubles have been among their biggest concerns.

The girl had a history of right ear blockages and infections, Oksana reported, but inside Dilley, she said, it was far harder to treat. In November, she brought Kamilla to the medical room complaining of discomfort and fever. The pain worsened at night and her daughter's ear eventually began oozing pus, Oksana said. She said they returned again and again to the medical room, seeking help.

Some of those visits are documented in medical records provided to the family and reviewed by NBC News. The forms, which at times identify Kamilla as an "inmate," note redness and irritation in her right ear and prescriptions for drops and antibiotics. But Oksana said the records are incomplete and omit numerous visits as she requested specialized care but only saw nurses and nurse practitioners.

The girl's pain persisted for weeks, she said.

Her recovery was complicated by the routine obstacles that govern all aspects of life at Dilley. When Kamilla's earache flared or fever spiked, her mother said, they had to wait outside for hours in the "pill line" for her medicine.

After Oksana cut the top off an undersized beanie to fashion a headband to shield her daughter's inflamed ear from the biting wind, she said workers repeatedly removed it, calling it prohibited contraband. Each time, Kamilla cried.

During one medical visit, on Dec. 15, Oksana said she pleaded with a nurse to grant her daughter special permission to wear the modified beanie. The nurse said the makeshift headband was not permitted "for safety reasons," the records show, and instead offered to prescribe more ear drops and a steroid.

Frustrated and unwilling to continue waiting in the outdoor line for each dose of medicine, Oksana said she refused the treatment. The family eventually stopped visiting the clinic altogether, she said, instead treating Kamilla's pain with ibuprofen purchased at the commissary.

The earache has faded, Oksana said. The partial hearing loss remains.

In a statement, DHS noted the medications provided to Kamilla and her mother's refusal of additional medicines. The agency said it provides "comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody."

As her parents spoke over Zoom on Wednesday, Kamilla sat behind them, quietly drawing. She was sketching herself near the lone tree that stands on the detention center's grounds, butterflies fluttering around it — one of the few places, her mother said, where children sometimes see something alive and colorful.

The next day would be her 12th birthday.

There would be no cake. No presents. No party with friends.

Instead, on their 131st day in federal custody, her parents planned to buy her a pack of M&Ms — among the only sweets available — and pray that their daughter's birthday wish for freedom might come true.

WASHINGTON — President Trump issued pardons Thursday to five former football stars — including Jets Hall of Famer Joe Klecko — who were convicted of federal drug crimes, perjury, and counterfeiting offenses.

"As football reminds us, excellence is built on grit, grace, and the courage to rise again. So is our nation," White House pardon czarAlice Marie Johnson wrote on Xin announcing the clemencies.

Defensive tackle Klecko, 72, who spent 11 of his 12 pro seasons with the Jets, was pardoned for perjury in an insurance fraud case, for which he was sentenced to three months in prison in 1993.

Offensive guard Nate Newton, 64, best known for his 13 years with the Dallas Cowboys, received clemency for his drug trafficking conviction after he was busted with nearly 400 pounds of marijuana in two separate traffic stops in 2001.

Johnson said Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones "personally" shared the news with Newton, who won three Super Bowls with America's Team in the 1990s.

Another Super Bowl champion, former Baltimore Ravens running back Jamal Lewis, was pardoned after pleading guilty in 2004 to using a cell phone to facilitate a cocaine deal.

Travis Henry, 47, formerly of the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee Titans and Denver Broncos, was pardoned of his cocaine-trafficking conviction, while the late Billy Cannon — a Heisman Trophy winner at LSU who went on to play for the Houston Oilers, Oakland Raiders, and Kansas City Chiefs — received posthumous clemency after serving two-and-a-half years in jail for printing $6 million in phony $100 bills in the 1980s.

Johnson, who Trump freed from prison during his first term and then pardoned of drug charges at the recommendation of Kim Kardashian, thanked Trump for his "continued commitment to second chances."

Johnson is paid $145,000 as a White House employee to find Trump cases of apparent injustice — bypassing the historically slow pardon process through the Justice Department.

Trump last year installed hard-charging loyalist Ed Martin as his pardon attorney to supplement Johnson as he makes unconventional use of his clemency powers during his second term.

HOUSTON — New Clippers guard Darius Garland stood a few feet away from the bench in street clothes attempting to blend in with the group, while coaches urged the players to keep pace with a Rockets team that was struggling out of the gates. A few minutes later, Garland shuffled over behind the stanchion, watching his team play while being interviewed by a sideline reporter. On both occasions, both during the first-quarter timeout and after, Garland's focus was on everything happening in front of him.

The 26-year-old isn't an imposing figure by any means; he is soft-spoken and mild-mannered by nature. But his presence could be felt. Garland represents a number of things for the new-look Clippers — the departures ofJames HardenandIvica Zubac, the dismantling of one of the NBA's hottest teams and a paradigm shift for the franchise.

"It's not easy," veteran Nic Batum told Yahoo Sports afterthe team's 102-95 loss to the Rocketson Tuesday. "Especially when you trade away big pieces. But the thing we got back is pretty huge as well. You still gotta do your job, but it's going to be an adjustment for sure."

Tuesday evening's setting painted a quiet picture against the backdrop of a rather noisy trade deadline and season overall. The coming weeks and months — with theClippers still under league investigationfor possible cap circumvention related to Kawhi Leonard — could prove pivotal for the future course of the franchise. And over the next few days, the entire basketball world will convene at Intuit Dome forAll-Star Weekend, once again thrusting this franchise into the national spotlight.

But at least for now, in the eye of the storm, basketball is their focus.

"We love to hoop," Leonard said with a rare smile after a 19-point fourth quarter ina 105-102 win over the Rocketson Wednesday on the second night of a back-to-back in Houston. "Guys kept their heads in the game and they wanted to compete and that's what we did. … Every win is important for us whoever we're playing, because of the seed we're in right now. We've got to move up in the rankings, try to get out of the play-in. That's our season for us."

Leonard's heroics (he finished the game with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals) pushed the Clippers to an impressive 3-1 record since the Feb. 5 trade deadline — a period that was supposed to mark a pivot away from previous outside expectations. Back-to-backs against the same opponent on the road are a rarity in the NBA schedule, but they allow for a team to reinforce their immediate goals. For Lue, a championship-winning coach with over 15 years of experience, roster turnover isn't a foreign concept, and his objectives won't change because of who is or isn't taking the floor.

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"Just gotta get a feel for what the new guys do," Lue said. "How they play, try to let them be themselves in the confines of what we do offensively and defensively. ... Our expectations are still to win and win at a high level. Come out and compete every single night and play hard. No matter who's on the floor."

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In terms of the new-look personnel — inserting Brook Lopez and Derrick Jones Jr. (and Kris Dunn, until Garland returns) — Los Angeles' identity is being carved out on the defensive end. The Clippers sit fourth in defensive efficiency since the deadline, allowing just 107.3 points per 100 possessions. Extremely small sample size, yes, but there's no reason to suggest a major dropoff at that end of the floor as the Dunn-Jones-Leonard-John Collins-Lopez group adds more games under its belt. It's everything you could ask for in a lockdown lineup; Dunn as a physical point of attack defender; Jones and Collins as athletic passing lane disruptors; Lopez as the backline and Leonard as the end-all, be-all versatile irritant. They're causing havoc at all levels, generating turnovers on nearly 20% of opponent possessions. The Clippers forced 39 Rockets turnovers in 48 hours. They're pesky, annoying and in your face.

"We're able to blitz and cause chaos," Lue said. "Shoot the gap for steals, turn them over and get out in transition. Being physical and into bodies, protecting the paint and understanding the game plan. When we turn teams over, we're a different team."

There's a lot to be desired offensively, though. Nothing is ever guaranteed from one season to another in this league, but in the blink of an eye, the Clippers went from an emerging offensive juggernaut tothis, with all due respect. A healthy Garland should help with more juice in pick-and-rolls and optimal shot creation for teammates. Bennedict Mathurin, who was part of the trade that sent Zubac to Indiana, also gives the Clippers another shot-creator, in addition to being a solid point-of-attack defender.

But the lone constant, Kawhi, is still pretty damn good. Leonard is having a renaissance campaign, the fifth-most impactful player per 100 possessions, according to the LEBRON metric, behind Nikola Jokić, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Victor Wembanyama and Cade Cunningham — MVP candidates. Leonard is quietly posting an absurd 28/6/4 statline on the cusp of a 50-40-90 year. According to Stathead, Leonard isthe only playerin the NBA with those averages on that efficiency — not to mention a .619 true shooting percentage. There were reports circulating that teams made calls about his availability after the departures of Harden and Zubac but were quickly shut down. Even at 34, he's shown to be a bona fide go-to scorer, lockdown defender and closer.

Who knows what the Clippers' immediate future looks like with a Leonard-Garland pairing. The decision to move on from Harden isn't without risk, even if Los Angeles obtained a younger player who hasn't reached his prime yet. Will this move prove to be a domino effect in attracting more talent? Again, we're still talking about the team that sent a future Hall of Famer home in the middle of a road trip and hasn't received a verdict on alleged financial wrongdoings.

There's a lot going on in Clipperland right now, which makes the upcoming All-Star Weekend that much more interesting.

Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty; Jamie Squire/Getty

NEED TO KNOW

• Donna Kelce opened up about her son Travis Kelce's retirement rumors in a video shared on Friday, Feb. 13

• The NFL mom shared what she wants for the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, and how he should make his decision

• Kelce is speculated to hang up his jersey when his contract expires in March

Mother knows best!

Donna Kelceis sharing her thoughts on her sonTravis Kelce's NFL future, and giving her motherly advice as he decides whether to retire from the league or return for another season.

The NFL mom was asked byTMZwhether she'd like to see the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 36, continue playing amid speculation that the star athlete will hang up his jersey now that his 13th season in the league has come to an end.

Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

"I just want him to do what he feels comfortable doing," she told the outlet in a video released on Friday, Feb. 13. "He's gotta talk to people in his life to decide what he wants to do."

She added, "So I'm not sure. We'll see what happens!"

Kelce has been the subject of retirement rumors since before the 2025-2026 season began. He signed a two-year extension in 2024, which expires in March 2026.

JOHN G MABANGLO/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Speculation ramped up over the course of the season, and tenfold towards its end, especially given how events played out:Kelce was admittedly frustratedwith his game, quarterbackPatrick Mahomes' suffered aseason-ending injuryand theChiefs missed a playoff berthfor the first time in a decade.

While Kelce kept his thoughts on retirement private for a large part of the season, he's opened up in recent monthsabout the factorsthat will play into his decision.

"You know, that's a good question, man. I think I'm still searching for those answers... The way this one ended with a sour taste in my mouth," Kelce toldTony Gonzalezlast month when the retired Chiefs legend asked about his retirement decision.

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"I feel motivated, but I got to make the right decision for me," he shared.

Additionally,Clark Hunt— chairman and CEO of the Kansas City Chiefs — shared his organization's take on what's to come next year regarding Kelce, andendorsed the tight end's decisionif he elects to play a 14th season.

"Well as an organization, we certainly hope that he will come back," Huntsaid in a guest spot on NFL Network'sGood Morning Footballon Tuesday, Jan. 27.

"He had another great year, maybe not on par with where he was four or five years ago, but still had over 800 yards, and was really one of the leaders on the offensive side of the ball for us. So there's no doubt in my mind that he can still play," he continued.

Hunt added, "We're trying to be respectful and let him have the time that he needs to make a decision."

Read the original article onPeople

BAGHDAD (AP) — The U.S. military has completed the transfer of thousands ofIslamic State groupdetainees from Syria to Iraq, where they are expectedto stand trialin the future, the U.S. Central Command said Friday.

Iraq IS Prisoners

CENTCOM said that the transfer thatbegan on Jan. 21saw U.S. forces transporting more than 5,700 adult male IS suspects from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody.

The prisoners were transferred to Iraq at therequest of Baghdad— a move welcomed by the U.S.-led coalition that had for years fought against IS.

"We appreciate Iraq's leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security," said Adm. Brad Cooper, CENTCOM commander.

Iraq's National Center for International Judicial Cooperation said a total of 5,704 suspects from 61 countries who were affiliated with IS were transferred from prisons in Syria.

The Center said most of the suspects were Syrian or Iraqi, though there were other foreign nationals from Europe as well as Australia, Canada and the United States, among other countries.

Over the past three weeks, the U.S. military escorted the detainees fromprisons in northeastern Syriarun by the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-ledSyrian Democratic Forces,to Baghdad.

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The transfers have helped calm fears that the recent rounds of fighting in Syria between government forces and the SDF would allow the IS prisoners to flee from detention camps there and join militant sleeper cells that are still carrying outattacksin both Iraq and Syria.

Iraq is looking to put on trial some of the thousands of the IS detainees who were held for years in Syria without charges or access to the judicial system.

When IS declared a caliphate — a self-proclaimed territory under a traditional form of Islamic rule — in large parts of Syria and Iraq that the militant group seized in 2014, it attracted extremists from around the world.

From the caliphate, the extremists plotted attacks around the world that left hundreds dead from Europe to Arab countries and Asia.

"The successful execution of this orderly and secure transfer operation will help prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria," said U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Kevin Lambert, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, that led the mission planning, coordination, and execution. He used an acronym to refer to the Islamic State group.

Mroue reported form Beirut.