Iraqi overcrowded jails may give birth to new militant group

Iraqi experts have warned of the emergence of a new militant group as Baghdad has been continuing to receive a great number of Islamic State (IS) detainees from the Syrian Kurdish forces.

Apart from capturing thousands of insurgents during the liberation of Mosul and other areas in Iraq, the country also received thousands of IS detainees from neighboring Syria since March, this year when the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces freed the last pocket of the extremists in eastern Syria.

Fathel Abu-Raghef, a specialist in strategic affairs, pointed out that those IS members who were arrested during the operations in Iraq and Syria “are religious fanatics with the capability of brainwashing and influencing others’ mentality” and radicalizing them, as cited by Kurdistan 24.

In the meantime, Hisham al-Hashemi, an Iraqi security expert, expressed concerns over the issue and said that the large number of IS prisoners in Iraqi jails would “leave prisoners exposed to each other, making recruitment for extremist groups easier,” according to the report.

“Emphasis on separating the prisoners is crucial to avoid a ‘jihadi academy’ inside the prison,” he added. “Especially the dangerous ones; they need to be locked in solitary confinement.”

Source: Basnews