Baghdad, Iraq – Iraq received a new batch of ISIS detainees from Syria as part of a large-scale transfer operation overseen by US forces.
This is the second such operation since the announcement of a plan to transfer up to 7,000 ISIS members, two Iraqi security officials told AFP.
An Iraqi security official said the prisoner transfer operation is ongoing and is being carried out by land and air under the supervision of US forces.
He also indicated that the number of detainees expected to arrive today could reach approximately 1,000.
Coordination of transport operations
An Iraqi security official said that the prisoner transfer operation is still ongoing
and is being carried out by land and air under the supervision of US forces,
noting that the number of detainees expected to arrive during the day may reach about a thousand prisoners.
He explained that the Iraqi Prime Minister had authorized a joint committee comprising representatives
from the Ministry of Justice, the Air Force, and the Counter-Terrorism Service.
This committee was tasked with monitoring and coordinating the transfer operations
and ensuring their implementation in accordance with established security and legal procedures.
A second security official confirmed that the detainees, who are of various nationalities including Iraqis
and Europeans, will be distributed among at least three prisons within Iraq.
Furthermore, heightened security measures will be implemented.
He added that Iraqi authorities are preparing to handle this complex issue
while taking into account the associated security and legal challenges.
This transfer is part of a plan announced by the US Central Command (CENTCOM)
to transfer approximately 7,000 ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq.
The laws will be enforced
The plan aims to keep them in more secure detention facilities. An initial group of approximately 150 ISIS members
including prominent leaders and Europeans, arrived in Iraq last Friday from a prison in Hasakah province.
The transfer of detainees is expected to continue for several days, amid Iraqi-American coordination.
In this context, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council announced that it will initiate legal proceedings against all detainees received.
It also affirmed that the law will be applied to all defendants without exception,
regardless of their nationalities or previous positions within the organization.
It is worth noting that since the defeat of ISIS in 2019, thousands of suspected ISIS members,
along with their families, have been detained in prisons and camps run by the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria.
This has made their transfer and trial one of the most significant security and legal challenges in the region.
