Australians Accused of Islamic State Ties Set to Face Trial in Iraq

A group believed to include about a dozen Australians accused of involvement with Islamic State appears set to face trial in Iraq after authorities completed the interrogation of thousands of prisoners transferred from Syria.

Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council said it had finished questioning 5,704 people it described as members of Islamic State, known locally as ISIS. The next step, it said, would be referral to trial courts, with each case assessed according to the evidence and established facts.

“

5,704 defendants who are members of the terrorist ISIS gangs

Among the Australians who may be included is Perth-born paediatrician Tareq Kamleh, known as “Dr Jihad.” Iraqi authorities have previously said his involvement with Islamic State went beyond providing medical services. Kamleh travelled to Syria in 2015 to join the group, but in a resurfaced interview he insisted that he had never pledged allegiance to its so-called caliphate.

“

Their referral to the trial court, each according to the evidence and facts established in his or their case.

Another possible defendant is Yusuf Zahab, who was taken to Syria at the age of 12. He was captured and separated from his family after the battle of Baghuz in March 2019, when he was still a teenager, and later disappeared into Syria’s prison system. His mother was among the women who returned to Australia in May after years in the al-Roj refugee camp in northeastern Syria.

The Judicial Council said the prisoners came from 67 countries: 16 Arab states, 19 European Union members and 32 other countries. Syrians made up the largest group, with 3,497 detainees, followed by 474 Iraqis. Authorities said the investigations identified individuals who held leadership, security, religious, military, media and other roles. They also said case files showed evidence of crimes against the Yazidi community, including six defendants whose alleged roles were directly connected to enslavement.

“

The investigations, evidence collection, and analysis resulted in the identification of several highly dangerous individuals who had held leadership, security, religious, military, media, or other positions, or who had been involved in high-profile operations and crimes of an international dimension, including first-tier leaders within the terrorist ISIS gangs.