Several Australian men held in an Iraqi prison on suspicion of being ISIS fighters are slated for questioning by Iraqi and U.S. officials. The interrogations could result in the release of some detainees, raising questions about their future and potential repatriation.
The group includes individuals like Mohammed Ahmad, husband of alleged ISIS bride Kawsar Abbas, and Nabil Kadmiry, whose wife Kirsty Rosse-Emile returned to Australia. Yusuf Zahab, son of ISIS bride Aminah Zahab, is also believed to be among the detainees, having been separated from his mother as a child and held in prisons in Syria and Iraq.
An Iraqi Correctional Services staffer indicated that the Australians are part of a larger cohort of detainees who will be interviewed. "We don't know when they will be interviewed or how long it could take, but they will be spoken to," the staffer said. The process is part of Iraq's efforts to manage terrorism-accused detainees and facilitate a handover process aimed at achieving justice.
Conditions within the Baghdad prison are described as cramped and unpleasant, with the facility facing security threats. "A single cell can house many prisoners so the conditions are not pleasant," the staffer noted, differentiating the situation from detention camps for women and children. Many of these male detainees reportedly lack current passports, meaning the Australian government would need to approve their removal from Iraq.
While the Australian government has previously ruled out repatriation efforts from Iraq, it has not confirmed whether individuals released from Iraqi custody could be sent to another country.
This development follows the return of several cohorts of Australian women and children linked to ISIS in recent years. In May, two groups, each with at least a dozen women and children, returned to Australia. Eight orphaned children were repatriated under the Scott Morrison government in 2019, and four women and 13 children were brought back by the Albanese government in 2022. Another woman, Hodan Abby, was prevented from boarding a flight to Sydney in May due to a temporary exclusion order.
Experts emphasize that countries have a responsibility to manage their own citizens. Dr. Ali Mamouri, a lecturer at Deakin University and former advisor to the Iraqi Prime Minister, stated, "States have both a legal and international responsibility to deal with their own citizens rather than leaving the burden entirely to Iraq and Syria." He stressed the importance of individual assessments, recognizing that some detainees, including those taken to the region as children, may have different levels of culpability and may not have participated in combat.
Dr. Mamouri also highlighted the need for close cooperation between Iraq and Western countries, given the transnational nature of ISIS and its threat to international security. Following the fall of ISIS in 2019, many male members were killed or imprisoned, while women and children were placed in refugee camps. Boys reaching adolescence were often transferred to adult prisons.
