How the SDF's release of Islamic State prisoners could impact Iraq

In July, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the military wing of the Kurdish-led US-backed Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES), released nearly 250 individuals accused of terrorism from their custody under an amnesty deal.

The move has reignited fears of an Islamic State (IS) resurgence, particularly in Iraq’s border province of Nineveh and its capital, Mosul, which IS once declared as the caliphate's capital in 2014.

Fadhil Haidar, a Yazidi activist residing in the Mam Rashan camp for displaced persons in Dohuk, said he felt “disappointed” at the release of IS militants who were set free “without even facing trial”.

"I fled with my family from southern Sinjar when IS overran our village,” he told The New Arab. “Now, as we commemorate a decade since the genocide committed against our people, instead of holding these individuals accountable for their crimes, we learn that the SDF has released hundreds of them."

According to local news reports, prisoners were released from Alaya Prison in Qamishli and Al-Hasakah Central Prison in northeast Syria under an amnesty deal approved by the AANES on 17 July.

Haidar is worried that this development could facilitate the re-establishment of terrorist cells in Iraq, prompting concerns about whether Iraqi forces are adequately prepared to address this imminent threat.

Sources close to the SDF told The New Arab that up to 15,000 more prisoners are expected to be released. Eyewitnesses have also reported significant movements by terrorist groups along the border between Iraqi provinces, the Kurdistan Region, and the Hamrin mountains.

“The release was unexpected, and there was no coordination with the Iraqi side, neither from the SDF nor the Americans," Iraqi political analyst Ahmed Al-Khadr noted. “The move seriously threatens the region's security and stability.”

On the security front, he also warned that Iraq should respond firmly to any hostile actions, whether on the Syrian border or within the country itself.

“Their release likely resulted from a political deal between the local administration and some tribes in the area who have imprisoned members associated with IS,” he added. “From the Iraqi side, I believe the country is not part of any agreements involving the release of IS members.”

Haider Shesho, commander of the Ezidkhan Protection Force under the Peshmerga Ministry of the Kurdistan Regional Government, based in northern Mount Sinjar, voiced a different view in a television interview with Rudaw.

“The released detainees might be officially welcomed back into Iraqi society, potentially through a ‘forgive and forget’ approach, but the general amnesty law currently under review by the Iraqi parliament needs to be thoroughly reviewed first,” he stated.

The Iraqi House of Representatives completed the first reading of the second amendment to General Amnesty Law No. 27 of 2016 in August, presented by legal, security, defence, and human rights committees.

The amendment aims further to clarify the crime of affiliation with terrorist organisations. Al-Khadr expressed concern that if the amendment is passed, it could provide a loophole for IS affiliates to reintegrate into Iraqi society.

Meanwhile, Iraq's Ministry of Defence announced on its official page in July that the Seventh Infantry Division will continue coordinating with border forces to secure the Iraqi-Syrian border.

On the back of these recent developments, Khudair Al-Matrohi, commander of the paramilitary Shia Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in Nineveh province, told The New Arab that his forces have been inspecting Sinjar, Rabia, Um Jaris, Tarfaoui, and other border areas over the past few weeks.

"Rest assured that the borders are secured by border guard forces, the Iraqi army, and the PMF. All stakeholders are working together because the security of Iraq is our responsibility,” he said.

"No matter how many IS fighters they free, we assure our people that they will not be able to seize even a small village in Iraq,” he continued.  “Our borders are fully secured, and we have sufficient reserve forces to hold more than what is already under control.”

The Iraqi Joint Operations Command, responsible for handling the border threat, issued a statement denying reports of security instability in the Nineveh region and its western borders with Syria. According to the statement, Iraqi security forces continue to conduct pre-emptive operations and execute “devastating strikes” against remaining IS cells

Former Iraqi parliament member Joseph Slewa, representing the Christian community, however, painted a grim picture of the political reality in Iraq.

“Kurdish, Sunni, and Shia authorities each pursue their own sectarian or ethnic interests, excluding those who do not belong to these identities,” he told The New Arab. “This sectarian divide is prevalent in all levels of governance, where even IS-like practices are sometimes carried out legally, politically, militarily, or administratively.

“The release of terrorists from Syria and the potential passage of a general amnesty law in Iraq would only expand the influence of IS on the ground.”

Religious minorities, such as Christians and Yazidis, according to Slewa, “have been exploited under the guise of nationalism and coexistence,” only to be the primary victims of these conflicts.

“Unless there is a coalition between the Chaldean, Syriac, Assyrian, and Yazidis communities to demand the creation of their own autonomous region supported by the United Nations and the international community, we will continue to suffer as we have always had in the past.”

This article is published in collaboration with Egab.