European jihadists transferred from Syria to Iraq as country calls for their repatriation

Europeans are among the high-ranking detainees of the Islamic State (IS) group transferred by the United States from Syria to neighboring Iraq, which on Friday called for their repatriation to their countries of origin.

Under military pressure from the Syrian army, Kurdish forces this week withdrew from prisons where they had held IS jihadists since the group’s defeat in 2019, as well as from camps housing their families in northeastern Syria. The United States has begun transferring about 7,000 IS prisoners from Syria to Iraq. Among the first 150 high-ranking detainees already moved to a Baghdad prison are Europeans, two Iraqi security officials told AFP.

Amnesty International said Friday that the group of 7,000 detainees ''certainly includes Syrians, Iraqis, and other foreigners, as well as about 1,000 boys and young men.'' The rights organization urged the United States ''to urgently put safeguards in place before making further transfers'' and called on Iraq to ensure ''fair trials without resorting to the death penalty.''

During a phone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani urged European countries to repatriate their nationals, a step they have so far refused to take. Despite repeated appeals from Kurdish authorities and the United States in the past, foreign governments have generally avoided repatriation, citing security concerns and domestic political backlash.

Security vacuum

In 2014, IS seized large areas of Syria and Iraq, committing massacres and enslaving women and girls. With support from a US-led coalition, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) defeated the group in Syria five years later and captured thousands of its fighters from the self-proclaimed ''caliphate'' spanning both countries.

At al-Hol, the largest camp housing relatives of jihadists, the situation has been « volatile » in recent days, the United Nations said Friday. Kurdish forces withdrew on Tuesday, and Syrian government troops entered the following day.

A former humanitarian worker, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that detainees took advantage of a ''security vacuum'' to escape, without specifying their number or nationalities.

Al-Hol is home to more than 23,000 people, mostly women and children, including nearly 15,000 Syrians and more than 2,200 Iraqis. In addition, the camp hosts 6,280 foreigners, mainly Arabs and Asians, but also a small number of Westerners, according to previous administrative data.

Bread and water

After suspending operations for three days due to security concerns, staff from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) were able to re-enter al-Hol camp on Friday evening, accompanied by Syrian government representatives. ''The delivery of essential supplies has resumed,' the agency announced on X, adding that trucks carrying bread had entered the camp. UNHCR and UNICEF had already delivered water the previous day.

UNHCR took over management of the camp on Jan. 1, before hostilities erupted between Damascus and Kurdish forces, spokeswoman Céline Schmitt said.

A second, smaller camp, Roj, which remains under SDF control, houses 2,328 people, most of them foreigners, including Western nationals such as French citizens.

A ceasefire declared Tuesday night between Syrian government forces and the Kurds is largely holding. Under an agreement, about 800 Kurdish fighters who had been guarding IS detainees at the Al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa were evacuated under Syrian military escort. An AFP journalist saw buses and vehicles leaving the prison on Thursday night, accompanied by Syrian army convoys.

On Monday, the Syrian Interior Ministry said 120 IS members had escaped from another prison in Chaddadi, though 81 were later recaptured.

''The recent reported escapes of Daesh detainees amid the clashes are extremely concerning,'' European Commission spokesperson Anouar El Anouni said Friday.