Swiss jihadist detainees moved to Iraq

Three Swiss EI fighters transferred from Syria to Iraq Keystone-SDA

Three Swiss nationals who fought for the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group and were being held in northeastern Syria have been transferred to Iraq.

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Their relatives, including a Swiss woman and her young child, are still in a camp inside Syria. Given the situation, the Swiss nationals who have been transferred to Iraq will receive consular assistance wherever possible, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Tuesday.

There are currently no plans to move the families of these IS fighters to Iraq. Under an agreement with the Kurdish autonomous administration, responsibility for the remaining camps is to be handed over to the Syrian transitional government.

+ New country, old fear: an overview of Syria’s realities

A total of 5,700 prisoners who joined the IS terrorist group have been moved from Syria to a detention centre in Iraq. The US‑led operation lasted 23 days, during which a number of detainees managed to escape.

No repatriation for Swiss jihadists

The move comes amid rising tensions between the new government in Damascus and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). Iraq’s prime minister, Mohammed Shia al‑Sudani, has recently urged EU member states to repatriate their detained IS supporters and put them on trial.

So far, the Swiss foreign ministry has not received any requests to repatriate Swiss nationals from Iraq. In line with a decision by the government, Switzerland does not actively bring back adult travellers who left the country for terrorist reasons, the ministry told the Keystone‑SDA news agency.

Translated from French by AI/sp

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