Iraq's Prime Minister Shia Al Sudani on Friday confronted French President Emmanuel Macron over the recent transfer of European ISIS followers, demanding their return to the home nations.
Prisoners were moved from north-east Syria to Iraq as forces clashed in the area but Baghdad wants Europeans to go back to their homes countries.
France's long-standing position has been that its citizens who joined ISIS at the height of its influence during the Syrian civil war a decade ago should be tried as close as possible to the location of where they committed their alleged crimes – in Syria or Iraq.
During a phone call between the two leaders, Mr Al Sudani “stressed the importance of countries around the world, particularly European Union member states, assuming their responsibilities by receiving those individuals who hold their nationalities” and prosecuting them, according to a statement from his office.
The French president's team did not confirm such a claim, though it issued a statement on the call that focused on recent developments in north-east Syria. It said Mr Macron and Mr Al Sudani "stressed the need for a permanent ceasefire in Syria in the interest of the country's unity and regional stability".
Mr Macron thanked Mr Al Sudani and Iraqi authorities "for the voice of responsibility they represent in this dangerous context and for the continuity of their commitment to the fight against Daesh".
More than 10,000 ISIS members, most of whom are set to be transferred to Iraq, along with tens of thousands of women and children, have been held for years in about a dozen prisons and detention camps in Syria, guarded by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
The SDF rapidly retreated this week after clashes with Syrian government forces, raising concerns about security in prisons after reports of jailbreaks involving suspected terrorists. A European Commission spokesperson said the EU was watching the situation with "concern."
The UN has said it will take over the management of the Syrian camps.
France has repatriated dozens of French women and children in the past years, but not men, who are believed to number around 70, according to French media. In September, France transferred 47 male detainees to Iraq for trial.
Since 2019, eleven French citizens are believed to have been sentenced to death by Iraqi courts, though their sentences have since been commuted to life in prison. French authorities have said the transfers of those involved were the result of an agreement between the SDF and Iraqi officials and did not involve France.
More recently, the US has launched a mission to transfer thousands of prisoners to Iraq. Videos circulated on social media purported to show French helicopters flying low above north-eastern Syria this week, appearing to indicate that France was involved in transfers. There has been on comment from Paris.
Reports in Iraq said the ISIS prisoners sent from Syria had a mix of nationalities. Iraqis made up the largest group, alongside Arab fighters from other countries and citizens of Britain, Belgium, France, Germany and Sweden.
