UN to End in 1 Year its Probe of ISIS Extremists in Iraq

FILE - Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the ISIS group in Hasakah province, Syria, on April 19, 2023. I (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
FILE - Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the ISIS group in Hasakah province, Syria, on April 19, 2023. I (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
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UN to End in 1 Year its Probe of ISIS Extremists in Iraq

FILE - Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the ISIS group in Hasakah province, Syria, on April 19, 2023. I (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)
FILE - Kurdish forces patrol al-Hol camp, which houses families of members of the ISIS group in Hasakah province, Syria, on April 19, 2023. I (AP Photo/Baderkhan Ahmad, File)

The Security Council on Friday voted unanimously to end, a year from now, a UN probe into activities of ISIS extremists in Iraq. The vote came at the request of the Iraqi government.

The UK-sponsored resolution noted that Baghdad also asked that UN investigators hand over evidence they have gathered so far to the government, so that Iraqi authorities can pursue ISIS members’ accountability, as well as that of those who assisted and financed “this terrorist organization.”

The Security Council in September 2017 set up the investigative team — also at Iraq’s request — to collect evidence against ISIS members to be used in trials.

The AP quoted Christian Ritscher, the head of the team, telling the council in June that its investigators were compiling evidence on the development and use of chemical weapons by ISIS extremists and advancing their documentation on the militant group’s gender-based violence and crimes against children, Sunni and Shiite Muslims, Christians and Yazidis.

ISIS seized about a third of Iraq in 2014, along with a large swath of territory in Syria, and declared a self-styled caliphate across the area. It was declared defeated in Iraq in 2017 following a three-year battle. However, ISIS sleeper cells continue to stage attacks to this day in both Iraq and Syria.

Britain’s UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward told the council that the UN team has supported the excavation of mass graves, facilitated the return of remains to the families of victims, and worked closely with Iraqi judges and prosecutors, particularly on collecting evidence.

“It has provided survivors, including of sexual and gender-based violence, with opportunities to provide testimony safely with their rights fully respected,” she said. “And it has enabled psychosocial treatment in partnership with Iraq’s Ministry of Health, providing real impact for survivors.”

The resolution asks Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to submit a report by Jan. 15 on recommendations to implement Iraq’s request for evidence obtained by the UN team. The Security Council also asks that the team, with approval of Iraq's government, determine how evidence can be shared with other countries and to inform Baghdad about any evidence already given to third countries.

Woodward said Britain will work with the Iraqi government to continue the UN team's “legacy, both in Iraq and around the world.”

On Wednesday, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Nadia Murad, a Yazidi who was taken by ISIS militants and became a sexual slave, and her high-profile human rights lawyer, Amal Clooney, issued a statement highlighting their support for the team's mission and expressing concern that its mandate might not be renewed.

They said in a joint statement that evidence and testimonies gathered by the team “demonstrated the depth" of ISIS brutality — not only against the Yazidis but also against other minorities.

Murad and Clooney appealed for the extension of the team's mandate to preserve evidence for use in future criminal proceedings and to build “Iraq’s capacity in international crimes investigations and prosecutions.”



Türkiye Sends Massive Military Reinforcements to Northern Syria

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)
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Türkiye Sends Massive Military Reinforcements to Northern Syria

Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)
Turkish Defense Minister Yasar Güler attends the "Free Fire 2024" training on Thursday (Turkish Ministry of Defense)

Türkiye has sent major military reinforcements to its positions across various fronts in northwestern Syria, amid concerns over Israel expanding its attacks from Gaza to Lebanon and its strikes on targets in Syria.

In this context, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attended a secret parliamentary session on Thursday to discuss developments and threats to national security in light of Israel’s growing attacks and their proximity to Türkiye’s southern borders.

During the session, Defense Minister Yasar Güler and Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan presented an overview of the situation in the region, focusing on Israeli strikes and potential threats to the country’s national security. The meeting will remain classified for 10 years.

Güler warned against dragging the region into significant turmoil due to Israel’s efforts to spread “state terrorism” in Lebanon. He stressed that this situation compels his country to be prepared for all possible scenarios and to adopt preemptive policies.

In the past two weeks, the Turkish army has sent significant military reinforcements, including convoys of equipment, soldiers, and logistical supplies, to areas controlled by Turkish forces, the Syrian National Army, which is loyal to Ankara, and areas controlled by Hayaat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday that Türkiye had sent massive reinforcements, including over 190 military vehicles, such as armored vehicles, tanks, personnel carriers, and trucks loaded with logistical equipment and ammunition. These were distributed across several strategic fronts in Idlib and Aleppo provinces, amid Ankara’s efforts to maintain its influence and prevent the outbreak of large-scale confrontations between the Syrian army and opposition forces.

The Turkish reinforcements coincided with HTS’s preparations for a major military operation against Syrian government-controlled areas to expand its control in the countrysides of Latakia, Hama, Idlib, and in the city of Aleppo and its western countryside, an area known as the “Putin-Erdogan” zone.

In response, the Syrian army has also sent significant reinforcements to the frontlines with HTS, particularly in Aleppo and Idlib.

According to SOHR, Türkiye has firmly rejected any military action by HTS and warned that it will not allow any wounded HTS fighters to be treated on Turkish soil. It also said that the country would block any military supplies from passing through the Bab al-Hawa border crossing in northern Idlib, which is a lifeline for northern Syria.

Alongside the heavy military build-up, Turkish military command has issued orders for all its forces and allied factions in northern Syria to be on full alert and to raise their level of preparedness.

A Turkish military official said on Thursday that his country is closely monitoring the situation and that no significant displacement toward the border with Syria has occurred amid the Israeli escalation in Lebanon.

He emphasized that Türkiye’s military operations in northern Syria are focused on two main objectives: combating terrorist organizations, referring to the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), the largest component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), and preventing new waves of displacement from within Syrian territory.

In light of these developments, Moscow announced that it is preparing to hold the 22nd round of the Astana peace talks for a political solution to the Syrian crisis, after a 10-month pause.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said preparations are underway to organize the meeting in Kazakhstan’s capital, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

The 21st round of Astana talks took place on Jan. 25, with the participation of the three guarantor countries (Russia, Türkiye and Iran), as well as delegations from the Syrian government and the Syrian opposition. Representatives from Jordan, Lebanon, and Iraq also attended as observers, along with representatives from the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.