Iraq's Central Criminal Court sentenced 11 members of an ISIS cell to death on Tuesday for plotting attacks on state institutions.
The extremists, who were recruited into ISIS using social media, received training on making bombs and using drones to attack the Iraqi government, the Supreme Judiciary Council said.
The defendants were found guilty of affiliating with ISIS, a group that has continued to pose a threat to Iraq's security despite losing territorial control in 2017. The court's decision was based on Iraq's antiterrorism law.
The judiciary did not give more details on the defendants or the case.
ISIS emerged in Iraq in 2011 and expanded into Syria, claiming to have created a caliphate in 2014. The group's murderous tactics and extreme interpretation of Sharia have been condemned globally. In recent years, ISIS has regrouped and launched attacks, particularly in areas where security is weak.
Iraqi courts have 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 due process.
Further investigations and trials are anticipated after more than 5,000 ISIS prisoners were recently transferred from Syria to Iraq, after fighting in north-east Syria.
ISIS overran large parts of Iraq and Syria in the summer of 2014. Three years later, Iraqi forces, backed by a US-led international coalition, reclaimed all ISIS-held territory after gruelling fighting that cost thousands of lives.
In recent months, Iraqi forces have arrested or killed several ISIS members, including high-ranking field leaders, explosives experts and logistics co-ordinators. They have carried out operations outside Iraq, mainly in Syria.
Iraq has been working to stabilise areas liberated from ISIS, with reconstruction continuing. The country's security forces have made significant progress in recent years, but a threat from ISIS remains.
