250 members included: third batch of ISIS detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq
A third batch of members of the terrorist organization ISIS arrived from Syria in Iraq at dawn on Sunday.
This transfer comes as part of an operation supervised by U.S. forces in coordination with the Iraqi government and the international coalition, within a plan to relocate thousands of detainees from the prisons of the Syrian Democratic Forces in northeastern Syria to Iraqi territory.
A source from the Iraqi Prison Authority said that the new batch includes 250 members of the group of various nationalities, transported by buses under strict security supervision. The source noted that 77 of them are Iraqi nationals, while the rest are of Western, Asian and Arab nationalities.
The source added that the handover was conducted through official protocols between the Iraqi and American sides, under tight security measures, and that the detainees were transferred to detention facilities specially designated for them inside the country.
Asked about rumors circulating in Iraq that the cost of feeding detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq amounts to millions of dollars, the source clarified that “the annual cost of providing food for ISIS detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq reaches 25 million dollars, which constitutes an additional burden on the public budget amid the economic crisis facing the country.”
The source added that “countries around the world must share responsibility and not leave Iraq alone to face this heavy burden.”
Last Wednesday, the first batch arrived, comprising 150 members of the organization of various nationalities, with the largest numbers coming from Syria, Iraq and Turkey, alongside European, Arab and Asian nationals, as well as several stateless individuals.
The second batch arrived last Friday and included around 380 members, transported by U.S. helicopters and distributed among prisons in Sulaymaniyah, Dhi Qar and Baghdad, according to government sources.
Thus, Iraq has received within a few days three successive batches totaling more than 780 detainees, in one of the largest transfer operations of members of the terrorist organization since its military defeat in 2019.
A U.S. plan to transfer detainees
These operations fall within a mission announced by U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to transfer up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq, to ensure their detention in “secure” facilities after the deterioration of security conditions in some detention areas inside Syria.
Officials said that transfers are “ongoing by land and air,” and that the number of transferred detainees may reach around one thousand per day at certain stages.
According to security sources previously speaking, the detainees have been distributed among three main prisons in Iraq: “Sousse” in Sulaymaniyah, “Al-Hout” in Nasiriyah, and “Cropper” near Baghdad International Airport.
The sources said that high-risk leaders were separated from less influential elements as part of measures aimed at preventing any attempts of rebellion or escape.
Judiciary: no exceptions
The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council announced that the judiciary will initiate legal proceedings against all detainees, confirming that they will be subject exclusively to Iraqi jurisdiction, regardless of their nationalities or their positions within ISIS.
The Council stressed the documentation and archiving of terrorist crimes, as well as coordination with the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation, to ensure that no suspect escapes accountability.
In the same context, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called on countries around the world, particularly European Union states, to assume their legal and moral responsibilities by repatriating their citizens who are members of the organization.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein also affirmed that Iraq “should not bear the security and financial burden alone.”
European concern
The European Union expressed “grave concern” over reports of ISIS members escaping from Syrian prisons, confirming that it is closely monitoring their transfer to Iraq.
In turn, the United States welcomed Baghdad’s move, considering it an essential part of counterterrorism efforts, while stressing that the presence of foreign detainees in Iraq is temporary and that their home countries must repatriate and prosecute them.
