Over 5,700 suspected ISIL detainees relocated from Syria to Iraq

US Completes Transfer of Over 5,700 Suspected ISIS Detainees to Iraq

The United States has confirmed the completion of a 23-day transfer mission, transporting more than 5,700 adult male ISIS detainees from detention facilities in Syria to Iraqi custody. The operation began on January 21 and concluded with a night flight from northeastern Syria to Iraq on February 12.

According to the US Central Command (CENTCOM), the mission resulted in the successful transportation of over 5,700 detainees from more than 60 countries. These individuals were previously held in Syrian prisons run by Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) before the recapture of surrounding territory by the Syrian government prompted the US to step in.

The SDF had detained tens of thousands of suspected fighters and their relatives in camps, while Iraq’s National Centre for International Judicial Cooperation (NCIJC) reported that 5,704 ISIL detainees of 61 nationalities have arrived in Iraq. The detainees include Syrians, Iraqis, and individuals from other Arab countries, as well as foreigners from Europe, Asia, Australia, and the US.

Iraq’s judiciary will interrogate the detainees before taking legal action against them. CENTCOM head Admiral Brad Cooper praised the Iraqi leadership for recognizing the importance of transferring the detainees to regional security. The operation was completed in response to lingering doubts about security, which prompted the US to announce its intention to transfer the detainees to prevent a potential breakout.

Iraq has issued calls for countries to repatriate their nationals among the ISIL detainees, but this appears unlikely. Most foreign families have already left northeast Syria’s al-Hol camp, which is the largest camp holding relatives of ISIL fighters.

Source: Al Jazeera