Iraq forms security committee to oversee transfer of ISIS detainees from Syrian prisons to Iraqi facilities

Iraq's National Security Ministerial Council on Monday approved the formation of a security committee to oversee the transfer of members of the ISIS (Daesh) terrorist group from prisons in Syria to Iraqi facilities and to handle their cases until they are brought to justice.

In a statement, the media office of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani said that al-Sudani chaired a meeting of the council, during which the issue of transferring ISIS members from Syrian prisons was discussed, along with the related security aspects, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).

The statement said the council "approved on Monday the development of an integrated roadmap and the formation of a unified security committee that will fully oversee the process of transferring ISIS terrorist elements from Syrian prisons and dealing with them until they are brought to justice."

The council stressed the importance of its previous decision to transfer the group's members, describing it as "a purely security decision aimed at protecting Iraq."

It also underscored the need to continue cooperation with the leadership of the international US-led coalition fighting ISIS on this issue and the necessity for the international community to assume its responsibilities in this regard, according to INA.

On Sunday, al-Sudani said during a meeting with UN Under-Secretary-General for Operational Support Atul Khare that the transfer of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraqi prisons is "temporary."

He called on the concerned countries to take back their nationals who are members of the terrorist group, according to a statement from the prime minister's media office.

Last Wednesday, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said it has launched a mission to transfer ISIS detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq to ensure the terror group's members remain in secure detention facilities.

The mission began with US forces transporting 150 ISIS members from a detention facility in northeastern Hasakah province to a secure location in Iraq, with plans for up to 7,000 detainees to eventually be transferred to Iraqi-controlled facilities.