Shafaq News- Baghdad

Around 350 Iraqi citizens are being held in Syrian prisons, with joint Iraqi-Syrian committees expected to address their cases, an informed source told Shafaq News on Monday.

The detainees are being held in several prisons across Syria, the source said, adding that most were convicted of entering Damascus without official entry visas, while others face various minor charges.

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi discussed the issue with Syrian transitional President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the source noted, clarifying that specialized committees would be formed to examine the charges against the detainees, their sentences, and possible measures to resolve their cases.

A few days earlier, al-Zaidi and al-Sharaa chaired expanded talks between delegations from the two countries in Damascus, where they discussed several issues, including the export of Iraqi oil through the Baniyas pipeline, which has an export capacity of up to two million barrels per day.

The discussions also covered expanding trade between the two countries and strengthening cooperation in agriculture to achieve food and economic integration.

Last month, Head of Iraq's Border Ports Commission, Lieutenant General Omar Adnan al-Waeli, announced the release of all Iraqi tanker truck drivers detained in Syria.

According to the commission, all 15 Iraqi drivers, who had been held by Syrian authorities over violations committed while transporting fuel oil by tanker trucks, were released.

The commission had also announced on Sunday, September 27, 2026, the release of 59 Iraqi drivers detained in Syria and their exemption from outstanding financial fines, according to an official statement.