Iraq completes investigation into thousands of ISIS detainees formerly held in Syria - report

On June 24, Iraq concluded an investigation involving around 5,700 ISIS detainees who were previously held in Syria, according to a report. These detainees were mostly men who had been incarcerated in numerous detention facilities in eastern Syria since 2019. The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) had been in charge of these detainees until the SDF and Syrian government decided to integrate the facilities, at which point US Central Command decided to facilitate the mass transfer to Iraq.

Iraq has now reportedly completed the investigation of most of these individuals. However, it is unclear precisely how many of them will face trial in Iraq or remain in detention. The ISIS threat in Syria was largely eliminated in 2019, during which approximately 50-80,000 ISIS members were detained by the SDF. Most of these detainees were women and children; however, several thousand were men considered to be more dangerous than the women and children.

A report based on an AFP report indicates that "the cases will now proceed to trial, while more than 450 Syrians will be released and handed over to their country." The Supreme Judicial Council of Iraq confirmed that it had concluded the interrogation phase of the 5,704 ISIS suspects transferred from northeast Syria and referred them to trial.

The international community, including approximately 80 countries, backed the anti-ISIS coalition. However, they did not establish an international court to charge the ISIS members. Instead, they were left in a state of uncertainty for seven years. The Al-Arabiya report notes that investigations revealed several ISIS commanders, including top-ranking figures, who were involved in international crimes, such as the genocide against the Yazidi minority in Iraq.

The Yazidi community has yet to receive justice following ISIS's takeover of their areas in Iraq's Sinjar region in 2014. ISIS systematically murdered Yazidis and kidnapped thousands of women and children, selling them into slavery. This event galvanized the international community to combat ISIS. Despite some Yazidis having died in the war and many thousands remaining missing, the New Region reported that over 20,000 Iraqis had been rehabilitated from the al-Hol camp in Syria.

The Iraqi detainees were transferred to al-Jadaa camp, a major government-run rehabilitation and integration center south of Mosul. Many countries have been reluctant to accept their ISIS members back, such as Australia, which was hesitant to take back women and children who had been held in Al-Hol.