Iraq Security Source: Syria Kurds Hand Baghdad 100 Alleged ISIS Militants

A general view taken from a helicopter shows the Baghdad clock tower in Harthiya Square in the west of the Iraqi capital. (File photo: AFP)
A general view taken from a helicopter shows the Baghdad clock tower in Harthiya Square in the west of the Iraqi capital. (File photo: AFP)
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Iraq Security Source: Syria Kurds Hand Baghdad 100 Alleged ISIS Militants

A general view taken from a helicopter shows the Baghdad clock tower in Harthiya Square in the west of the Iraqi capital. (File photo: AFP)
A general view taken from a helicopter shows the Baghdad clock tower in Harthiya Square in the west of the Iraqi capital. (File photo: AFP)

A US-backed Kurdish force in northeast Syria handed over 100 alleged ISIS militants to Baghdad this week, a senior Iraqi security source told AFP on Sunday.

The suspects were being interrogated before being transferred to the judiciary, the source said.

But an official with the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) denied the handover had taken place.

The Kurdish force has already handed over around 900 Iraqis caught fleeing the last remnants of the extremist “caliphate” in 2019.

Around 1,600 Iraqis were still detained in northeast Syria at the end of last year over allegedly fighting for ISIS, according to a United Nations report released this month.

Iraq has tried thousands of its nationals for belonging to a “terrorist” group, which carries the death penalty according to the country’s 2005 Counter-Terror Law.

Hundreds of them have been condemned to death but only a small portion of the sentences have been carried out as they require presidential approval.

Current President Barham Salih is known to be against capital punishment.

Two senior officials from the US-led coalition told AFP that the original deal was also meant to include the transfer of at least 500 Iraqi civilians from the Al-Hol displacement camp in northeast Syria to Iraqi territory.

Al-Hol is home to over 60,000 people who fled ISIS territory as the SDF closed in on the extremists.

About half of those living in the camp are Iraqis.

Kurdish authorities have insisted they must return to their homeland but the government in Baghdad has been slow to act.



Polls Open in Jordan’s Parliamentary Elections 

A Jordanian voter casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Amman, Jordan September 10, 2024. (Reuters)
A Jordanian voter casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Amman, Jordan September 10, 2024. (Reuters)
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Polls Open in Jordan’s Parliamentary Elections 

A Jordanian voter casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Amman, Jordan September 10, 2024. (Reuters)
A Jordanian voter casts his ballot at a polling station during parliamentary elections in Amman, Jordan September 10, 2024. (Reuters)

Polling stations opened at across Jordan on Tuesday in the country’s 20th parliamentary elections, marking a significant milestone as the Kingdom embarks on its second century.

More than 5.1 million registered voters are eligible to participate, reflecting a broad engagement in the political process, reported the state news agency Petra.

People will cast their votes at 1,649 polling stations across 18 electoral districts, with 5,843 ballot boxes set up. Ninety-five centers have been specially equipped to accommodate voters with disabilities.

Jordan’s electoral system divides the Kingdom into 18 local districts, with 97 seats available for contest. Candidates in the general electoral district will compete for 41 seats, bringing the total number of parliamentary seats to 138.

A total of 697 candidates are running in the general electoral district, including 505 men and 192 women. In the local districts, 937 candidates are competing, with 747 men and 190 women.

Voting will close at 7:00 pm. The counting of votes will begin immediately after the polls close, with results expected within 48 hours.