Iraq: Security

Domestic

Iraq has taken custody of the first group of ISIS members from the al-Hol camp in Syria and initiated formal judicial procedures against them. In a separate development, two men linked to international organized crime were arrested: Kazem Hamad, deported from Australia, and a man accused of recruiting for Sweden's Foxtrot network. Authorities also denied reports of flight suspensions at Baghdad International Airport amid regional tensions.

International

The most significant development was the start of a major U.S. military operation to transfer up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from prisons in northeastern Syria to Iraq, with an initial group of 150 already moved. Iraq is opening three new prisons for this purpose and has begun legal proceedings, stating the move is necessary for national security. Concurrently, Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani in talks with French President Emmanuel Macron, have urgently called on European Union countries to repatriate their citizens who joined ISIS, warning that holding these prisoners is a burden. The U.S. has reportedly slowed the transfer process. In Syria, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces destroyed two bridges over the Euphrates River in Raqqa province, with Turkey conducting drone strikes on SDF positions nearby. Separately, Iran expressed approval of the U.S. evacuation from the Ain al-Asad air base in Iraq, while Trump warned the U.S. would end support for Iraq if Nouri al-Maliki becomes prime minister.