ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - About 450 Islamic State (ISIS) militants have been transferred from Syria to Iraq, Iraq’s foreign ministry reported Sunday, noting that an estimated 7,000 militants are set to be repatriated in total.
Hisham al-Alawi, undersecretary at the Iraqi foreign ministry, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) the number of ISIS militants returned to the country so far "is very limited out of the 7,000 present in Syria," noting that some held senior positions within "the terrorist ISIS organization.”
“The vast majority remain in Syrian prisons and have not been transferred,” Alawi said, adding that the detainees “belong to various nationalities,” he said.
He further stated that around 2,000 of the 7,000 ISIS militants in Syria had previously been identified as Iraqi nationals, some of whom have already been returned.
Iraqi authorities are currently reviewing the cases of those repatriated, Alawi said, noting that detainees “who committed crimes are being referred to the judiciary, while those whose guilt has not been proven will be transferred to rehabilitation centers for assessment.”
The foreign ministry official also stated that many ISIS militants detained in Syria are foreign nationals, "representing more than 40" countries. Iraq has repeatedly urged these countries to take responsibility for their citizens and “deal with them according to their own laws," Alawi said, adding that the response "has not been strong from most countries."
ISIS declared its so-called caliphate across Iraq and Syria in 2014, seizing large swathes of territory in both countries.