Paris talks with Baghdad about trying French ISIS suspects in Iraq
France’s foreign minister held talks in Baghdad on Thursday about transferring militants from northern Syria – where a Turkish offensive has triggered fears of mass jailbreaks – to be tried in Iraq.
The issue was top of the agenda for Jean-Yves Le Drian when he met President Barham Salih, Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi and his Iraqi counterpart Mohamed Al Hakim.
European governments are worried that the Turkish operation will allow some of the 12,000 suspected ISIS fighters – including thousands of foreigners – being held by Syrian Kurds to escape.
Mr Le Drian said he had discussed with Iraqi leaders “the way to implement an appropriate judicial mechanism” to try French and other fighters “in the best conditions”.
The aim is for foreign militants to be tried in Iraqi courts while certain principles of justice and respect for human rights are upheld, a French diplomatic source said.
One issue will be Iraq’s use of the death penalty, which is outlawed throughout the EU.
Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden sent officials to Baghdad this week to assess the situation.
“There are talks between the Americans, the British, French and Iraqis about funding the construction of prisons,” said Hisham Al Hashimi, an Iraqi expert on ISIS.
Mr Le Drian urged the international coalition that is fighting ISIS to confront the “new risks created by the Turkish intervention in northeast Syria and the risk of an ISIS resurgence”.
Hundreds of foreigners have been sentenced to death or life imprisonment in Iraq for belonging to ISIS.
Eleven French militants handed to Iraqi authorities this year by US-backed Kurdish forces in Syria were sentenced to death in Baghdad.
In April, Iraq offered to try foreign ISIS suspects in exchange for operational costs.
One Iraqi official said Baghdad had requested $2 billion (Dh7.34bn) to try the suspects.
On Monday, Turkey accused Kurdish forces of deliberately releasing ISIS prisoners from a jail in the Syrian border town of Tal Abyad “in an attempt to fuel chaos in the area”. Kurdish
officials claimed that Turkish bombardments had allowed almost 800 relatives of foreign ISIS fighters to escape from a camp for the displaced.
The Kurdish administration said about 12,000 suspected ISIS fighters are in the custody of Kurdish security forces in north-east Syria.
At least 2,500 of them are non-Iraqi foreigners of more than 50 nationalities. Tunisia is thought to have the biggest contingent.
Officials in Paris say 60 to 70 French citizens are among those being held. The rest include about 4,000 Syrians and about the same number of Iraqis.
The fighters, who were detained mostly in the course of operations led by Kurdish forces and backed by the USled coalition against ISIS, are being held in at least seven prisons.
Western governments such as France have been reluctant to take them back, for lack of a clear legal framework and fear of a public backlash.
ISIS said on Thursday that it had freed a woman held by Syria’s Kurdish authorities in another escape.
In a statement released on the Telegram messaging app, ISIS said it had stormed a security headquarters west of its former stronghold of Raqqa on Wednesday, “freeing Muslim women kidnapped” by Kurdish forces.
Prominent foreign ISIS members escaped in several jailbreaks and at least three French women who left a camp have since joined up with ISIS, they said in messages to their lawyer.
Two ISIS militants from Belgium also escaped custody, the head of the country’s security assessment agency said on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, a breakout was foiled at Al Hol camp, which is so crowded that wardens are struggling to control rioting.
The Americans, British, French and Iraqis are discussing funding the construction of prisons HISHAM AL HASHIMI Iraqi expert on ISIS