Iraq Investigates Thousands of ISIS Detainees From 67 Countries
Iraq has completed investigations into 5,704 ISIS detainees from 67 countries transferred from Syria, with their cases now moving toward court referral.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - Iraq's Karkh First Investigative Court has completed investigations into the cases of 5,704 ISIS detainees transferred from Syria, clearing the way for their files to be referred to the competent courts according to the evidence and facts established in each case, the Supreme Judicial Council said Tuesday.
The council said preliminary investigations began in February 2026 and continued through detailed examination of evidence, documentation and individual case files.
The detainees represent 67 countries, including 16 Arab states, 19 European Union member states and 32 other countries.
Among them are 474 Iraqis and 3,497 Syrians, while the remainder hold a range of other nationalities.
The Supreme Judicial Council said investigators identified senior and dangerous ISIS figures who had occupied leadership, security, military, media, financial and logistical roles within the organization.
Ezidi crimes included in case files
The investigations also cover alleged international crimes committed during ISIS rule.
According to the judiciary, six detainees were identified as having played direct roles in the enslavement, detention, purchase and sale of Ezidi Kurds.
ISIS committed widespread atrocities against the Ezidi community after its 2014 assault on Sinjar, including killings, abductions and sexual enslavement.
The latest judicial statement indicates that evidence connected to those crimes forms part of the individual case files now moving toward court proceedings.
Multiple Iraqi agencies involved
The investigation was carried out through coordination between the Karkh First Investigative Court and Iraq's National Center for International Judicial Cooperation.
Personnel from the Interior and Justice ministries also participated, alongside the intelligence service, National Security Service and military intelligence.
The council said biometric information for the detainees was recorded at Karkh Central Prison as part of efforts to establish their identities and document their cases.
It stressed that defendants were being afforded fair-trial guarantees during the judicial process.
Releases and transfers handled separately
The judiciary said separate procedures were established for juveniles and for detainees whose cases did not proceed toward prosecution.
Two foreign detainees, one Finnish and one American, were released and handed over to authorities from their respective countries.
Seven Iraqi detainees were also released after investigators determined there was insufficient evidence against them.
The council said procedures had additionally been completed for the transfer of 457 Syrian detainees to Syrian authorities in coordination with the Syrian Embassy in Baghdad.
Cases move to next judicial stage
The detainees were transferred to Iraq after security instability surrounding detention facilities in Syria raised concerns over the fate of thousands of ISIS members and suspects held there.
More than 5,700 detainees were subsequently transferred to Iraqi custody with assistance from coalition forces for judicial processing.
Tuesday's announcement marks the completion of the investigative phase rather than final judgments against all detainees.
Their cases will now move to the competent courts, where individual criminal responsibility will be determined on the basis of the evidence contained in each file.
For Iraq, the process represents one of the largest judicial undertakings involving ISIS detainees since the group lost territorial control, combining domestic prosecutions with international cooperation over defendants originating from dozens of countries.