[Rudaw] About 450 Islamic State
 ...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that they were al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're really very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear western pols talk they're not really Moslems....
(ISIS) murderous Moslems have been transferred from Syria to Iraq, Iraq’s foreign ministry reported Sunday, noting that an estimated 7,000 murderous Moslems are set to be repatriated in total.
Hisham al-Alawi, undersecretary at the Iraqi foreign ministry, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) the number of ISIS murderous Moslems returned to the country so far "is very limited out of the 7,000 present in Syria," noting that some held senior positions within "the terrorist ISIS organization."
"The vast majority remain in Syrian prisons and have not been transferred," Alawi said, adding that the detainees "belong to various nationalities," he said.
He further stated that around 2,000 of the 7,000 ISIS murderous Moslems in Syria had previously been identified as Iraqi nationals, some of whom have already been returned.
Iraqi authorities are currently reviewing the cases of those repatriated, Alawi said, noting that detainees "who committed crimes are being referred to the judiciary, while those whose guilt has not been proven will be transferred to rehabilitation centers for assessment."
The foreign ministry official also stated that many ISIS murderous Moslems detained in Syria are foreign nationals, "representing more than 40" countries. Iraq has repeatedly urged these countries to take responsibility for their citizens and "deal with them according to their own laws," Alawi said, adding that the response "has not been strong from most countries."
ISIS declared its so-called caliphate across Iraq and Syria in 2014, seizing large swathes of territory in both countries. It was defeated territorially in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019.
The Iraqi government has consistently rejected proposals to try large numbers of foreign ISIS murderous Moslems inside Iraq, maintaining that their home countries must prosecute their citizens.
Last week, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said Baghdad is prepared to receive ISIS prisoners previously held in facilities controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeast Syria (Rojava). He emphasized, however, that the financial and security responsibilities of the process should not fall solely on Iraq.
"We have decided that if there is a case of handing over these prisoners to Iraq, we are ready to receive them and transfer them to Iraqi prisons," Hussein said.
Separately, in a Monday interview with Rudaw, the top Iraqi diplomat warned that ISIS could still engage in "terrorist activity," highlighting the risks posed by thousands of ISIS prisoners held in Syria.
"ISIS remains, and it exists," Hussein said.
Despite its territorial defeat in Iraq and Syria, ISIS remnants continue to pose an ongoing threat to international security.
Hussein stressed that while ISIS is unlikely to regain foothold, "terrorist activity is always dangerous." He expressed serious concern over thousands of ISIS detainees in SDF-managed prisons - particularly in northeastern Syria’s (Rojava) Hasaka province - warning that their escape or release would threaten Iraq and neighboring countries.
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