Washington DC: The US military has taken the custody of two high profile British detainees notorious for their roles in an Islamic State cell known as "Beatles". The duo, who has been accused of torturing and killing Western hostages, was removed from wartime prison in northern Syria run by a Kurdish-led militia, reported The New York Times citing US officials.

The abrupt move comes after Turkey launched an offensive in Northern Syria. Ankara has been targeting the key American-backed Kurds--known as Syrian Democratic Forces. Kurds have acted as the key allies of the United States in the fight against the Islamic State in Syria.