Baghdad to repatriate Iraqi Islamic State fighters held in Syria – PM Abdul Mahdi

13 Feb, 2019 15:41 / Updated 5 years ago

Iraq’s Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi has said Baghdad will repatriate Iraqi members of Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) held by US-backed fighters in Syria. The PM told reporters late Tuesday that families of those fighters will also be brought back and that tent settlements will be prepared to host them. The statement came a week after the US called on other nations to repatriate and prosecute their citizens who traveled to Syria to fight with IS and who are now being held by Washington’s local partners. The Syrian Democratic Forces say they have detained more than 900 foreign fighters during their US-backed campaign against IS in northeastern Syria, according to AP. Earlier on Tuesday, Abdul Mahdi held a meeting in Baghdad with acting US Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan.