Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for Iraq’s commander in chief of the armed forces, speaks during a televised interview on security developments.
Numan says legal cases await ISIS detainees transferred to Iraq
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s military spokesman said Sunday that Islamic State detainees transferred from prisons in Syria to Iraq face pending legal cases, describing the move as a sovereign decision taken to safeguard security and enforce judicial accountability.
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander in chief of the armed forces, told the Iraqi News Agency that “legal files are before the judiciary awaiting these detainees, whether Iraqi or foreign,” adding that the transfer was decided “to achieve higher security and judicial interests.”
He said public discussion of the issue has been marked by “media chaos” regarding border conditions and developments in Syria, urging news outlets to exercise accuracy and avoid confusion. “Iraq today is safe and capable of managing its security files with competence,” al-Numan said.
Al-Numan said the detainees are wanted by Iraqi courts for crimes committed against Iraqis, noting that they fled to Syria after Iraqi forces defeated ISIS and were later held in prisons controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces.
He warned that keeping them in facilities facing “a fragile security situation and political pressure in Syria” could allow them to escape, reorganize and contact sleeper cells, creating a future security risk. He said the decision to transfer them was taken unanimously during an emergency meeting of the National Security Political Council after reviewing all scenarios.
Addressing logistics, al-Numan said the transfer is being carried out gradually. “The transfer process will not take place all at once,” he said, noting that “the first batch included only 150 terrorists,” while further transfers depend on plans prepared by security leaders and the Ministry of Justice.
He said the Supreme Judicial Council fully supports the move and that judicial files are ready to proceed against all transferred detainees “to take fair legal measures against them.”
The transfer follows recent instability in northeastern Syria that raised concerns over detention facility security. Iraqi officials have said all transferred suspects fall exclusively under Iraqi jurisdiction, while U.S. Central Command has confirmed that the initial phase involved 150 detainees, with additional transfers subject to security assessments.