Shafaq News– Baghdad
The Iraqi government on Monday put in place a “unified” security mechanism to manage the transfer of ISIS detainees from prisons in Syria.
According to an official statement, the Ministerial National Security Council, during a meeting chaired by caretaker Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, reviewed all security aspects of the transfer process and reaffirmed that relocating ISIS members constitutes “a purely security decision aimed at protecting Iraq.”
The council approved the creation of a “comprehensive roadmap” and “a unified security committee” with full supervision of the transfer process, including managing detainees and ensuring their referral to the judiciary.
While stressing the need to continue coordination with the US-led Coalition, it urged the international community to assume its responsibilities in this file.
The move comes amid escalating tensions in northern and eastern Syria, where clashes between Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces have expanded to facilities housing ISIS detainees. Fighting that began east of Aleppo has spread to Raqqa, Deir Ez-Zor, and Hasakah, despite a ceasefire announced on January 18 and later extended by 15 days.
The United States Central Command confirmed that US forces transferred 150 ISIS detainees from a detention facility in Hasakah province to Iraq to prevent potential escapes, with hundreds more expected to cross in the coming period. Popular Mobilization Forces chief Faleh Al-Fayyad said Iraq has prepared fortified detention facilities in the south to receive up to 7,000 ISIS detainees.