Iraq's national security adviser has urged Australia to repatriate a group of suspected Islamic State fighters, raising the issue with Canberra's ambassador in Baghdad weeks after the detainees were moved from Syria.
Qassim al-Araji met Glenn Miles last week and said foreign detainees should be returned to their home countries. In a post on X, al-Araji said they discussed the need to intensify international efforts to halt the war and reduce tensions in the region. Miles made no public mention of the meeting.
The request follows the transfer of more than 5,700 suspected IS members from Syria to Iraq in a US-backed operation. About 13 Australian men are among them, including one who was trafficked into IS territory as a child. Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said it is not repatriating or assisting ISIS-linked individuals in Iraq and Syria.
Iraq's justice minister has said foreign nationals will be repatriated once investigations are completed, provided they did not fight against Iraq or participate in terrorist activities inside the country. At least one Australian has previously been sentenced to death in Iraq for IS membership, and Iraq ranks among the world's top executioners.
The men could also face terror or foreign incursion charges in Australia, potentially making them reluctant to return. They include husbands and fathers of 34 Australian women and children still in Syria. Lawyers representing several prisoners say neither the Australian nor Iraqi governments have been in contact since the transfer.
