Iraq begins trial of six French nationals accused of ISIS membership

An Iraqi court began the trial on Sunday of six French nationals accused of belonging to the ISIS militant group.

According to Reuters, a member of the Supreme Judicial Council told the court that the defendants could face the death penalty if found guilty of committing crimes against Iraq and its people.

Two legal sources at the court said the accused were among 47 French ISIS detainees transferred from prisons in northeast Syria last year as part of a broader operation overseen by US forces and Iraqi authorities.

The French embassy in Baghdad did not respond to requests for comment. However, a Reuters witness inside the court reported that embassy officials were present at the criminal court in Baghdad.

The six men, who arrived at the court in a prison transport truck under guard, are being tried under Iraq's anti-terrorism law and appeared in yellow prison uniforms. The presiding judge postponed the session until October 5 to allow defense lawyers time to review the case files.

ISIS seized large areas of territory in Syria and Iraq in 2014 before being driven out by US-led coalition forces five years later. Many ISIS members were subsequently detained.

Reuters reported that in January, the United States announced the start of transfers of ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq amid concerns over the security of detention facilities in northeast Syria after Kurdish-led forces lost control of parts of the area.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein said in February that discussions were ongoing with other countries to repatriate their nationals, noting that Baghdad had sought international financial support to manage the transfer of prisoners to Iraq.