At a Glance

• Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan leads Iraqi delegation to Syria.
• Meetings scheduled with Syrian Justice Minister Mazhar Weis and interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
• Agenda centers on cross-border judicial cooperation and transferred ISIS detainees.
• Discussions target transitional justice, anti-corruption, and bilateral institutional transparency.

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The President of Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council, Faiq Zidan, leads a high-level judicial delegation to Syria on Thursday to engage in bilateral talks regarding cross-border legal cooperation and the judicial processing of thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) detainees recently moved into Iraqi custody.

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Key Statements and Focus Area

• Detainee Management & Legal Oversight: "Consultations between Baghdad and Damascus focus on managing legal proceedings and intelligence-sharing for thousands of ISIS suspects transferred from northeast Syria," senior Iraqi sources reported.
• Institutional Transparency and Governance: "Joint talks aim to establish mechanisms to strengthen judicial transparency, tackle systemic corruption, and facilitate cross-border legal assistance," according to Iraqi media reports.
• Transitional Justice Commitments: "Consolidating judicial frameworks between both nations is crucial for pursuing transitional justice and holding perpetrators of transnational terrorism accountable," officials familiar with the visit noted.

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High-Level Delegation to Damascus

Following invitations and bilateral preparations, Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council President Faiq Zidan travels to Damascus heading an official judicial delegation. According to Iraqi media reports citing senior official sources, Zidan will be formally received by Syrian Minister of Justice Mazhar Weis prior to holding top-level discussions with Syria's interim President, Ahmed al-Sharaa. The diplomatic effort reflects an acceleration of high-level contacts between Baghdad and Damascus as both neighboring states seek to realign their legal and security protocols.

Addressing the ISIS Detainee Custody

The central operational priority on the agenda revolves around the judicial coordination of ISIS detainees recently relocated from northeastern Syrian detention facilities to Iraqi prisons. With thousands of foreign and local fighters now situated in high-security Iraqi facilities like Karkh and Nasiriyah, Iraq's judiciary is leading extensive interrogations and gathering evidence. Zidan and Syrian officials will deliberate on evidence-sharing protocols, jurisdictional boundaries, and the documentation of atrocities committed by the militant group across the shared border.

Expanding Co-operation: Anti-Corruption and Governance

Beyond counterterrorism operations, the bilateral talks encompass broader institutional reforms. Delegations from both countries are set to discuss frameworks for transitional justice, anti-corruption strategies, and legal measures aimed at reinforcing state transparency. These discussions aim to build durable legal channels between Baghdad and Damascus to handle shared security challenges, financial crimes, and extraditions moving forward.

FYI

The high-level visit comes after the U.S. military and regional authorities coordinated the transfer of roughly 5,000 to 7,000 ISIS detainees, representing over 40 nationalities, from northeastern Syria to Iraq. The mass transfers were initiated amid major territorial realignments in Syria, including the Syrian army's expansion under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa following the withdrawal of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) from key regional custody centers. Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council subsequently mobilized specialized counterterrorism courts in Baghdad to lead investigations, asserting exclusive jurisdiction over crimes committed by the detainees under Iraqi law while working with international bodies to document genocide and transnational offenses.

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