ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The national security advisor of Iraq said on Wednesday that hundreds of Iraqis are participating in the Russia-Ukraine war and that a government committee has been formed to bring them home.
Qassim al-Araji said the committee was established by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and includes representatives from relevant institutions to follow up on the issue of Iraqis fighting in the conflict.
According to a statement from the Supreme Judicial Council, its head Faiq Zidan met with Araji on Wednesday, along with members of the committee, to discuss “addressing the situation of Iraqis involved in the ongoing fighting in Ukraine.”
Nearly four years have passed since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war, which has resulted in hundreds of civilian casualties. With US mediation, diplomatic efforts to end the conflict have intensified, though prospects for a breakthrough remain uncertain.
There is no accurate data available on how many Iraqis are on the battlefields participating in the Ukraine-Russia war.
“Iraqi penal law punishes with imprisonment anyone who joins, in any way, the armed forces of another country without the approval of the Iraqi government,” Zidan said, according to the statement.
Araji said the Supreme Judicial Council supports the committee’s work and that several important meetings will be held soon to “save our youth from death, whose numbers reach hundreds of people.