Iraq to prosecute ISIS detainees transferred from Syria: What to know
The repatriation of Iraqis accused of Islamic State ties from Syria has reignited security concerns in Iraq.
Iraqi authorities said Thursday they will pursue legal action against Islamic State (ISIS) detainees recently transferred from Syria, as the government moved to defend the controversial decision amid public criticism.
What happened: Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said the court system would begin “undertaking due legal procedures against the accused, who will be received and placed in the competent correctional institutions,” the official Iraqi News Agency reported.
The suspects will be investigated regardless of whether they are Iraqis or foreigners, the council added.
The US military began transferring ISIS prisoners from the Ghweiran prison in northeast Syria on Wednesday, sending 150 detainees, among them Iraqis and other nationals, to an unspecified location in Iraq. Up to 7,000 prisoners could ultimately be moved from Syria to its neighbor. The process is being carried out in coordination with the Iraqi government and aims to ensure the detainees remain in secure facilities, US Central Command said in a statement.
