ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) militants who are being transferred from Syria to Iraqi prisons include individuals accused of committing atrocities against the Yazidi community, an Iraqi official said on Sunday.
Ali Dhia, assistant head of Iraq’s National Center for International Judicial Cooperation (NCIJC), an affiliate of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, told state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) that among the 7,000 to 8,000 ISIS prisoners being transferred to Iraq are “individuals who committed crimes against our Yazidi people, as well as those involved in crimes involving the use of chemical weapons in Iraq during the period of ISIS control.”
Iraq has launched preliminary investigations on those prisoners who have arrived in the country.
"Preliminary investigations have revealed that a number of them are considered highly dangerous, are leaders within ISIS terrorist gangs, and are perpetrators of genocide and crimes against humanity against Iraqi components," Dhia said.
According to the official, the investigation and trial process began late January, following the transfer of ISIS detainees from the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)-controlled areas in northeast Syria (Rojava).
In mid-January, the Syrian Arab Army and allied armed groups advanced into areas held by the SDF across several northeastern cities.
The SDF, which serves as the de facto military force in Rojava and key ally of the US-led Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, had previously liberated these areas, maintaining control to prevent an ISIS resurgence.
After weeks of intense clashes, the SDF and Damascus announced on January 29 that they had reached an internationally brokered agreement to end hostilities and integrate Rojava’s civil and military institutions, including the Kurdish-led forces, into state institutions.
As of Friday, Iraq has transferred 2,250 jailed ISIS militants into the country by air and land as part of an ongoing operation coordinated with the US-led international coalition, Iraqi Security Media Cell spokesperson Saad Maan told Rudaw on Saturday.
According to Dhia, the suspects hail from 42 different countries, and “their extradition to their home countries cannot be discussed until the investigations are completed, which is expected to take four to six months.