National Security Adviser Qasim al-Araji meets with U.S. National Counterterrorism Center Director Joseph Kent in Baghdad to discuss counterterrorism cooperation and the transfer of Islamic State detainees.
Iraq, US discuss ISIS detainee transfers from Syria
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s national security adviser discussed the transfer of Islamic State detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq with the head of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center on Sunday, stressing the need for countries to repatriate their citizens held in those facilities.
Qasim al-Araji met with Joseph Kent in Baghdad to review counterterrorism coordination and the issue of detainee transfers, according to a statement from al-Araji’s media office.
The meeting addressed “ways to develop cooperation and joint coordination between the two sides in the field of counterterrorism,” and emphasized “the importance of international cohesion in confronting terrorist organizations,” the statement said.
The two sides also discussed “the file of transferring detainees from northeastern Syria to Iraq,” with an emphasis on “the necessity for the international community to withdraw its nationals from those prisons, within the framework of shared responsibility to confront the threat of terrorism.”
Al-Araji said “Iraq enjoys balanced relations with the international community and the United States,” stressing “the importance of investing these relations to reduce tensions in the region and restore stability and calm.” He added that “security is indivisible,” and that international cohesion is “a basic necessity to eliminate terrorist groups.”
Kent said “Iraq is a pivotal and important country in the region and has a prominent role in combating terrorist organizations,” praising Iraq’s “broad expertise and well-established experience” in counterterrorism.
The talks come as Iraq has begun receiving Islamic State detainees transferred from camps and prisons in northeastern Syria after fighting and shifting control raised concerns over detention facility security. Government officials have described the move as a preemptive step to protect national security, while Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council has said all transferred suspects, regardless of nationality, are subject exclusively to Iraqi jurisdiction and legal procedures under Iraqi law.
U.S. Central Command has said the initial transfer involved 150 detainees, with the process potentially expanding based on security assessments, as Iraqi officials continue to urge countries to repatriate their citizens affiliated with the group.