Islamic State suspects arrested in France are being transferred to Iraq for legal proceedings, claim Syrian authorities.
In a significant development, forty-seven French citizens suspected of being members of the Islamic State (IS) group have been handed over to Iraq for prosecution. This transfer, which occurred more than one month ago, was not previously reported.
The French prisoners were held in one of a network of detention centres in northeast Syria housing some 9,000 accused IS members. These detention centres are guarded by the US-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The transfer of the French prisoners marks the latest move in the repatriation of IS suspects from Syria. The US military has been urging countries with citizens at the camps and detention centers to repatriate them. However, the specifics of the current transfer and the reactions of French officials were not immediately available for comment.
Thousands of Iraqi citizens detained in Syria have also been extradited for trial. This comes as the Iraqi officials have stated that 3,192 inmates have been handed over to Iraq by the SDF. Of these inmates, 724 were sentenced to death and 1,381 to life imprisonment.
The al-Hol and al-Roj camps, which house tens of thousands of people with alleged ties to the Islamic State Jihadist Group, most of them wives and children of militants, have been a significant issue since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Under a deal signed between the SDF and the new authorities in Damascus in March, the SDF is supposed to eventually turn over management of the camps and detention centers to Damascus. However, progress has been slow, with the deal not yet resulting in significant progress on implementation.
Meanwhile, Iran has executed one man accused of spying for Israel and another for Islamic State links. Switzerland has indicted two men on charges of spreading Islamic State ideology.
The question of the fate of these detention centres in northeast Syria remains unresolved, as the world continues to grapple with the aftermath of the IS group's rule in the region.
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