Baghdad, Iraq – Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein announced on Monday that Turkey has agreed to receive Turkish citizens among the thousands of detainees affiliated with the Islamic State group. These detainees were recently transferred to Iraq from Syria, following the closure of camps and prisons that had housed them in recent years.
Transfer of detainees from Syria
Hussein explained that the transfer of detainees was carried out in coordination with the United States. This followed the withdrawal of Kurdish forces from some locations and the closure of detention centers that had held individuals suspected of belonging to the extremist group for nearly a decade. He noted that Iraq had received more than 5,700 detainees in recent weeks. This was done as part of security and organizational arrangements aimed at dismantling those camps.
Agreement with Ankara
During a meeting with US envoy Tom Barrack, the Iraqi minister confirmed that an understanding had been reached with Ankara regarding the repatriation of Turkish citizens among those detained. He noted that Baghdad is also holding similar talks with other countries to urge them to fulfill their responsibilities. For his part, a Turkish diplomatic source stated that his country appreciates Baghdad’s efforts in transferring the detainees. He also affirmed Ankara’s readiness to cooperate with Iraqi authorities concerning Turkish citizens involved in terrorism-related cases.
A call to assume international responsibilities
In a separate statement to the UN Human Rights Council, Hussein reiterated Iraq’s call for all countries to repatriate their nationals involved in terrorist activities and prosecute them under their national judicial systems. He stressed that states fulfilling their legal and moral responsibilities is a crucial step in preventing the resurgence of extremist groups. The Islamic State group controlled large swathes of Iraq and Syria between 2014 and 2017 before collapsing following regional and international military campaigns.
