“Iraq’s participation in that conference embodies the will of the international community, friendly nations, and allies and lovers of peace, to combat extremism and protect the rights of the nations and build continued peace,” Araji said at a conference in Kuwait for combating terrorism and border security.
He said that his country has taken “important steps” to combat terrorism and this has allowed Iraq to become “more attractive to investment and an encouraging factor for establishing projects in all fields.”
Araji noted that 2,710 Iraqi prisoners - many charged with terrorism - being held at al-Hol camp in Syria’s Hasaka province have been transferred to interior ministry prisons in Iraq, where complete investigations will be conducted and then they will be handed over to the judiciary.
Iraqis and Syrians make up the majority of the estimated 40,000 people at the camp since the military defeat of the Islamic State (ISIS) in Syria in 2019. The camp controlled by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) has been described as a humanitarian disaster and a breeding ground for terrorism by security experts.
Araji noted the brave decision by Baghdad to repatriate Iraqi families, totalling 2,629 families and 10,242 individuals.
Most of the repatriates live in al-Jada rehabilitation camp in Iraq’s northern Nineveh province. Al-Jada prepares the individuals for reintegration into their communities and then return to their places of origin
Until now, 2,082 families, consisting of 7,685 people in eight Iraqi provinces have been returned to their homes, according to Araji.
Iraq and the United Nations reached an agreement to repatriate all Iraqi nationals from al-Hol by 2027, a spokesperson from the migration ministry told Rudaw in June.
The repatriation of ISIS-linked citizens has sparked opposition in Iraq, with tribes unwilling to accept and welcome people associated with the group that committed heinous human rights abuses and war crimes from 2014 to 2017, when they controlled vast swathes of the country.
On Friday, the SDF announced that their forces conducted a security operation in al-Hol camp, "targeting an ISIS terrorist cell."
Additionally, Kurdish authorities in Rojava have repeatedly called on the international community to repatriate their nationals from the camps, but their calls have largely gone unanswered as most countries are unwilling to bring back their citizens due to security concerns.
