Iraq says over 5,000 ISIS members transferred from Syria

ISTANBUL

Iraq is currently holding more than 5,000 ISIS (Daesh) members transferred from Syria, the Justice Ministry said Friday.

“Some 5,064 terrorists have been relocated to Iraq so far, including more than 270 Iraqi nationals and over 3,000 Syrians, with the remainder from other countries,” ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi told the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

“All detainees are being held in a single prison facility and will be investigated and prosecuted in accordance with Iraqi law,” he said.

Laibi described the transfer process as “legally sound,” stressing that Iraq carried out the move “in coordination with the US-led international coalition against ISIS and at its request.”

Justice Minister Khalid Shwani also confirmed that “all procedures were conducted in coordination with the coalition,” he said.

The spokesperson added that “the cost of feeding the detained ISIS members is being covered by the international coalition, not the Iraqi government.”

In late 2017, Iraq declared victory over ISIS after three years of fierce fighting.

The terror group, however, remains active in northern, western and eastern provinces, carrying out occasional attacks, while the government continues to launch security and military operations to eliminate its remnants.