Al-Araji: Received more than 3000 Iraqi terrorists who were in prisons northeastern Syria

INA - BAGHDAD 

National Security Adviser Qassim Al-Araji confirmed that Iraq had received more than 3000 Iraqi terrorists who were in prisons, northeastern Syria.

Al-Araji participated in the work of the United Nations Third High-level Conference of Heads of Counter-Terrorism Agencies held in New York, according to a statement by the National Security Adviser, received by the Iraqi News Agency - INA.

Al-Araji delivered Iraq's speech at the conference, during which he conveyed the greetings of the PM Muhammed S. Al-Sudani, to the international community, noting that "the Iraqi parliament has given confidence to the current Iraqi government on October 27th 2022, as 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, services, reform, anti-corruption and building state institutions."

"Iraq has made great strides in the field of counter-terrorism at the level of planning, coordination, continuous quality operations, and its partnership with the international coalition," he added, noting that "this partnership undermined the environment of terrorism, destroyed its capabilities, and killed its leaders."

Al-Araji said, "The Iraqi government, after achieving military victory over the terrorist Daesh, approved a national plan to help the IDPs return to their areas of origin, as the ministerial curriculum included a clear commitment to achieving this, as well as work and coordination in this aspect is under way with the representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Jeanine Plasschaert as well as Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs and International Organizations operating in Iraq."

 He 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 as the majority of which 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."

Al-Araji indicated that "the Iraqi government has taken a courageous decision to transfer 10 groups so far, and the total number of returning families has reached 1,393 with 5,569 people, of whom 840 families have been rehabilitated and reintegrated in 7 governorates, while the number of families who are under rehabilitation is 553 families."

He 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 highlighted, saying "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 3000 Iraqi terrorists who were in prisons in northeastern Syria, and they were transferred to the authorities to present them to the Iraqi judiciary, for trial legally and apply the principle of non-impunity."