Iraq confirms transfer of 1,300 ISIS members from Syria
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Khaled al-Yaqubi, an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister, said late Monday that approximately 1,300 members of the Islamic State (ISIS) have been transferred from Syria to Iraq.
Speaking in an interview with Al Arabiya news channel, al-Yaqubi said that only four of the transferred ISIS members are Iraqi nationals.
He explained that Iraqi authorities agreed to receive ISIS detainees from Syria in order to prevent their escape from prisons there.
The unstable security situation inside Syria in recent months contributed to the decision, al-Yaqubi said.
Earlier on Monday, Iraq announced the start of investigative procedures involving 1,387 ISIS members who had been detained in Syria.