Iraq’s Justice Ministry rejects circulated figures on ISIS detainees
Iraq’s Justice Ministry denied the authenticity of circulated lists detailing ISIS detainees transferred from Syria, stressing no official statement was issued and investigations are ongoing.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Amid circulating figures and lists regarding ISIS detainees transferred from Syria to Iraq, the Iraqi Ministry of Justice has firmly denied the authenticity of the published data, stressing that no official statement has been issued and that investigations remain ongoing.
Ahmed Laibi, spokesperson for the Iraqi Ministry of Justice, told Kurdistan24: “The list published under the name of the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council, which allegedly reveals the number and nationalities of ISIS militants transferred from Syria to Iraq, is far from the truth. No official statement has been issued by the Ministry of Justice in this regard, nor has it been approved by the relevant institutions.”
He clarified that the legal procedures related to the process of receiving detainees are conducted within officially approved frameworks and under the supervision of specialized judicial and security authorities. He added that investigations by the relevant security agencies are still ongoing to verify and establish the accuracy of the information.
The clarification comes a day after the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council published a statement on Sunday, indicating that the preliminary investigation phase for more than 500 ISIS detainees previously transferred from prisons in Syria to Iraq had been completed.
According to the information circulated — and rejected by the Ministry of Justice — the number of suspects handed over to Iraq from Syria had reportedly reached 5,704 individuals holding the nationalities of 61 different countries, including 460 Iraqis.
The development follows recent remarks by Qasim al-Araji, Iraq’s National Security Adviser, who described the Al-Hol camp file as both a humanitarian and security matter. During talks with Mari Rantanen, Finland’s Minister of the Interior, al-Araji reaffirmed Baghdad’s approval to transfer ISIS detainees to Iraqi territory to complete legal procedures and urged the international community to assume responsibility for repatriating its nationals.
He also noted that Iraq had adopted a decision to repatriate its citizens from Al-Hol camp at their request, placing them in Al-Amal camp under a rehabilitation program before returning most families to their home areas.
With investigations still underway, the Ministry of Justice has underscored that only officially issued statements reflect Iraq’s legal and judicial position on ISIS detainees transferred from Syria.