Decreasing the speed of transferring Daesh prisoners from Syria to Iraq – Mehr news agency RCO News Agency

According to RCO News Agency, citing Al Jazeera Qatar, this action, which is carried out in the framework of security agreements and cooperation between Iraq and Syria to manage the prisoners of this group, has been delayed due to logistical issues and security concerns.

Iraqi and Syrian authorities have previously stated that the purpose of this transfer is to ensure better control over detained ISIS members and prevent them from escaping or carrying out terrorist attacks.

According to the information of seven informed sources, the delay in the operation of transferring these prisoners took place following Baghdad’s request to other countries to accept thousands of their citizens.

Iraqi judicial and security officials as well as Western diplomats announced that so far about 130 Iraqis and 400 foreigners have been transferred to Iraqi centers, while the US military had previously predicted that about 7,000 people would be transferred within a few days.

The Iraqi government has asked the United States to slow down the transfer process to allow enough time to negotiate with other countries about returning their citizens and prepare additional centers. More than 7,000 fighters were expected to be transferred within a few days, but after more than a week, only about 500 have been transferred. The delay is also linked to the concerns of some Western governments about repatriating their citizens who have joined ISIS.

The operation began after the rapid collapse of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in northeastern Syria on January 21, raising concerns about the security of prisons and detention camps.

The Iraqi government has announced that the acceptance of these prisoners is a preventive measure to strengthen national security, especially in a situation where the prisons and al-Hol camp on the border between Syria and Iraq continue to be a potential threat.

The “QSD” group withdrew from the al-Hol camp in northeastern Syria, which houses ISIS prisoners, including mostly women and children from the families of former fighters of the group, without coordination with the Syrian authorities.

This retreat took place after clashes with the Syrian army, and Syrian regime forces took full control of the camp and its surroundings on Wednesday.