Erik Hacker

NEW STATEMENT ON THE TRANSFER OF IS DETAINEES TO IRAQ by Sabah Al-Numan, Spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Iraq, January 21, 2026 As part of the Iraqi government’s continued monitoring of the security developments taking place in the Syrian Arab Republic, and the repercussions of changes on the ground regarding control over detained Daesh terrorists, the Ministerial Council for National Security, during its most recent emergency meeting, approved, in cooperation with the International Coalition to Defeat Daesh, Iraq’s reception of terrorists of Iraqi nationality and other nationalities who were held in prisons previously under the control of the Syrian Democratic Forces. These individuals will be transferred to official state correctional institutions. The first group has already been received and includes 150 terrorist elements, Iraqis and foreigners alike, who were deeply involved in the killing of innocent Iraqis. The numbers of subsequent groups will be determined at a later stage, based on assessments of the security and field situation, with the aim of containing the threat posed by these individuals, who are considered first-tier leaders within terrorist organizations.