Iraq Tells Europe To Repatriate Its Nationals Among IS Detainees Transferred From Syria

Last Updated:January 23, 2026, 19:33 IST

Europeans were among a group of 150 senior IS members moved from Syrian Kurdish custody to Iraq earlier this week.

Children and women, relatives of suspected Islamic State jihadists, are seen inside Al-Hol camp in the desert region of Syria's northeastern Hasakeh province. (AFP photo)

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani on Friday told European countries to repatriate their citizens among Islamic State (IS) detainees recently transferred from Syria to Iraq as part of a US-led operation.

Speaking to French President Emmanuel Macron, Sudani stressed the need for countries, particularly European Union member states, to take responsibility for their nationals and prosecute them, according to a statement from his office.

The call comes after the Iraqi judiciary announced on Thursday that it would begin legal proceedings against the IS detainees transferred from Syria.

Europeans were among a group of 150 senior IS members moved from Syrian Kurdish custody to Iraq earlier this week. Iraqi security officials told AFP that the detainees included 85 Iraqis and 65 foreign nationals, including Europeans, Sudanese, Somalis, and people from the Caucasus region.

“All were leaders of the Islamic State group and some of the most notorious criminals," one official said. They were involved in IS operations in Iraq, including the 2014 offensive that saw the jihadist group seize large areas of Iraq and neighbouring Syria.

“They are all at the level of emirs," the official added. The detainees are now being held in a prison in Baghdad.

This group represents the first batch of 7,000 IS suspects previously held by Syrian Kurdish fighters, who the US military said it would transfer to Iraqi prisons.

Thousands of suspected jihadists and their families, including foreigners, have been held in detention centres and camps in Syria since IS was defeated in 2019 by Kurdish-led forces backed by a US-led coalition.

Washington said the transfer plan followed Kurdish forces relinquishing territory under pressure from the Syrian government. The Iraqi judiciary has a record of handing down hundreds of death sentences and life terms to those convicted of terrorism offences, including foreign fighters captured in Syria and transferred to Iraq.

(With inputs from AFP)

News world Iraq Tells Europe To Repatriate Its Nationals Among IS Detainees Transferred From Syria

Read More