Iraq's judicial authorities announced that 157 minors are among the ISIS prisoners transferred from Syria.
The minors will be separated and put in rehabilitation centres to “ensure they are treated according to the legal and humanitarian standards", Iraq’s Supreme Judiciary Council said in a statement.
They will later be referred to the Juvenile Investigation Court, it added. The council did not give more details on the ages or charges the minors may face.
For years, ISIS prisoners were held in prisons and camps administered by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in north-eastern Syria. The government has extended its control into those areas.
On Friday, US Central Command announced the completion of a 23-day mission to transfer detainees to Iraq, with about 5,700 adult male ISIS fighters moved to the country. They left Syria on planes and buses.
“Job well done to the entire Joint Force team who executed this exceptionally challenging mission on the ground and in the air with great focus, professionalism and collaboration with our regional partners,” Centcom commander Admiral Brad Cooper said in a statement.
“We appreciate Iraq’s leadership and recognition that transferring the detainees is essential to regional security."
US Army Maj Gen Kevin Lambert, commander of the Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve, said the "successful execution of this orderly and secure transfer operation will help prevent an ISIS resurgence in Syria". The US previously announced it would transfer about 7,000 detainees.
Shortly after receiving them, Iraq’s judiciary authorities began investigating the militants in anti-terrorism courts. Iraqi officials have said many of the fighters committed crimes in Iraq.
Khalid Al Mashhadani, Chief Judge of Baghdad's Karkh Appeals Court, said it completed initial interrogations of more than 500 prisoners. The total number of suspects transferred from Syria stood at 5,704, with detainees originating from 61 different countries.
Iraqi courts have in the past handed down hundreds of death sentences and life terms to people convicted of terrorism offences, including foreign fighters. Human rights groups have criticised some trials, saying they were rushed, and highlighted concerns about the process.
The Iraqi government has also called on other nations, especially EU states, to begin repatriating their citizens who joined ISIS. The international community has been watching the process closely, with many expressing support for Iraq's efforts and offering logistical and financial support.
Some European countries face legal limits on how long people can be held on suspicion of membership of a terrorist organisation, while Iraq argues that many detainees committed crimes on Iraqi soil and can be tried in the country.
ISIS overran large parts of Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014. The group led a campaign of widespread and systematic breaches of international human rights and humanitarian law. Three years later, Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led international coalition, reclaimed all ISIS-held territory after gruelling fighting that left thousands dead and large areas in ruin.
