The National Security Adviser, Qassem Al-Araji, confirmed that Iraq had received more than 3,000 Iraqi terrorists who were in prisons in northeastern Syria.
A statement by the National Security Adviser stated, “The National Security Adviser, Qassem Al-Araji, participated in the work of the United Nations’ third high-level conference for heads of counter-terrorism agencies held in New York.
Al-Araji delivered, according to the statement, Iraq’s speech at the conference, during which he conveyed the greetings of the Prime Minister, Muhammad Shiaa Al-Sudani, to the international community, noting that “the Iraqi parliament has given confidence to the current Iraqi government on October 27, 2022, and the governmental platform is being implemented according to a systematic vision targeting multiple fields.
He stressed that “the Iraqi government was able, during the first seven months of its work, to achieve community interaction and restore confidence between the state and the citizen,” pointing out that the Iraqi parliament was able to vote on a budget that is the first in Iraq for the years (2023, 2024 and 2025), which included a clear strategy for reconstruction and services, reform, anti-corruption and building state institutions.
Al-Araji said, “Iraq has made great strides in the field of combating terrorism at the level of planning, coordination, continuous quality operations, and its partnership with the international coalition,” noting that “this partnership undermined the environment of terrorism, destroyed its capabilities, and killed its leaders.
He added, “the Iraqi government, after achieving military victory over the terrorist ISIS, approved a national plan to return the displaced to their areas of origin, as the ministerial curriculum included a clear commitment to achieving this, and work and coordination in this aspect is under way with the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Ms. Jeanine Plasschaert, as well as Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs and International Organizations operating in Iraq.
Al-Araji explained, “The Iraqi government has taken care of the Syrian Al-Hawl camp, which is 13 kilometers away from Iraqi territory and includes more than 50,000 Iraqis and Syrians, and up to 10,000 foreigners of the so-called” immigrants “and the majority of them are women and children,” stressing that “this camp is a direct threat to Iraqi national security and the region, as it is a socially turbulent environment dominated by violence, crime and extremism.
With regard to the Iraqi families in Al-Hawl camp, Al-Araji indicated that “the Iraqi government has taken a brave decision to transfer 10 batches so far, and the total number of returning families has reached 1,393, or 5,569 people, of whom 840 families have been rehabilitated and reintegrated in 7 governorates, while the number of families who are under Rehabilitation 553 families.
Al-Araji called on the international community to support the Iraqi institutions concerned with this file, especially the Iraqi Ministry of Migration and Displacement, with a specialized international effort in rehabilitation and integration programs, in addition to Iraq’s affirmation of the international organization’s interest in urging and encouraging countries to withdraw their nationals from the Syrian Al-Hawl camp in order to dismantle it and close it permanently.
Al-Araji continued, “The Iraqi government was keen to follow up and prosecute all those accused of terrorism in coordination with friends and brothers,” noting that “Iraq received more than 3,000 Iraqi terrorists who were in prisons in northeastern Syria, and they were transferred to the competent authorities to present them to the Iraqi judiciary, for trial legally and apply the principle of non-impunity.
Al-Araji stated, “The Iraqi government took care of the Sinjar file after its liberation through coordination with the local population and the Kurdistan Regional Government, where an important agreement was concluded at the end of 2021 in the presence of the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, and the government took important steps on the humanitarian side, and after approving the current budget, funds were allocated a big campaign to launch a major reconstruction campaign in Sinjar and its administrative units, and high and important coordination is now taking place to resolve the local administration of the district in coordination and consultation with the local population and the Kurdistan region and in cooperation with the international effort and the United Nations.
With regard to the Yazidi survivors, Al-Araji affirmed that “the Iraqi government has paid special attention to this file, and the competent authorities are still making efforts to return all the kidnapped women from the districts of Tal Afar and Sinjar from the hands of the terrorist organization ISIS.”
During the conference, Al-Araji conveyed the Iraqi government’s confirmation of the importance of international support for Iraq in the files of Al-Hawl camp, the fight against terrorism and Sinjar, pointing out that the Iraqi government is working to diversify investment opportunities and create common interests within an ambitious Iraqi vision regionally and internationally, noting that Iraq has contributed and is still in bringing destinations closer, considering regional countries, restoring their relations, and creating opportunities for dialogue and meaningful diplomacy to discuss existing crises between countries.
Al-Araji concluded his speech, that “the government of Iraq is continuing to implement its obligations and its platform and coordinate with the international community in regional and international cooperation, advancing the government of Iraq’s thanks to the United Nations and the international coalition and to all friends and brothers who have stood with Iraq,” stressing that “the fatwa of the religious authority has defended Iraqis, Iraq and the sanctities.
Source: National Iraqi News Agency