Canadians suspected of joining ISIS leave Syria for Iraqi prisons – National
Suspected ISIS members from several countries, including Canada, have been taken out of Syria and taken to prisons in Iraq, an official said on Friday.
Iraqi judges have announced that more than 5,700 detainees have been transferred from their custody and are citizens of 61 countries, including Canada.
Although more than half are Syrian, the National Center for International Judicial Cooperation listed Canada among the “most prominent foreign nationals.”
Others include citizens of Germany, Russia, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, South Africa, New Zealand and the United Kingdom.
The statement did not specify how many Canadians were sent to Iraq, or identify them by name. Global Affairs Canada said it was only monitoring the situation.
But Global News has identified at least five Canadian men who were being held in Syria before being transferred, including a self-proclaimed ISIS gunman from Mississauga, Ont.
Dozens of extremists left Canada to join ISIS. While most were killed, Kurdish fighters held many in custody during the final stages of the conflict in 2019.
The federal government flew the women and children back to Canada in 2022 and 2023, but left the men in the custody of Kurdish forces.
They were held in makeshift prisons in northeastern Syria, a region controlled by the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
US military vehicles escort passenger buses carrying Islamic State prisoners from northeastern Syria to Iraq. Feb. 8, 2026. (Image Credit: © Stringer/Xinhua via ZUMA Press).
But last month, the United States began moving prisoners to Iraq as Syrian government forces and jihadist groups began moving into Kurdish-held areas.
The appeal finally came down on Thursday, as nearly 6,000 ISIS suspects were taken across the border to Iraqi prisons.
The Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council said they will be investigated and tried in Iraq.
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The council said in a statement that it has jurisdiction over all prisoners, “regardless of their nationality or position” in ISIS.
But Iraq also urged other countries to do their part and said it was unacceptable for other countries to refuse to return their citizens.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged “countries to take responsibility and return their citizens to these institutions to face justice.”
Muhammad Ali left Toronto in 2014 to join ISIS and was captured by Kurdish forces as he tried to escape.
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Canadians kidnapped in Syria include Muhammad Ali, who joined ISIS in 2014 and used social media to promote terrorist attacks in Canada.
In an interview with Global News after his arrest in 2018, the Mississauga, Ont. The resident admitted that he was part of an ISIS group of snipers.
Others who were held by the Kurds were residents of Edmonton, Windsor and Montreal, as well as Jack Letts, a Briton who has never lived in Canada but received citizenship through his father.
A sixth Canadian, Mohammed Khalifa, was extradited from Syria by the United States to Washington, DC, in 2021 to face terrorism charges.
A Toronto resident has been sentenced to life in prison for making ISIS propaganda videos in which he is shown killing prisoners with a gun.
Iraqi security forces lead suspected Islamic State militants for questioning after they were transferred from Syria to Iraq, at Al-Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad, Iraq, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban).
Iraq has already detained tens of thousands of ISIS members accused of holding crimes criticized by human rights groups.
Human Rights Watch said the trial hinged on confessions, despite allegations of torture, and the courts ignored each suspect’s role in ISIS.
“Iraq is known for speedy trials where defendants often have limited or no access to legal counsel, evidence is not scrutinized, and decisions are made quickly,” said Queen’s University professor Amarnath Amarasingam. “This has led to long prison terms and even the death penalty.”
“Researchers have warned for years that this could eventually happen if countries don’t return their citizens to these camps and prisons,” said Amarasingam, a terrorism expert who has studied ISIS members in Canada.
“By leaving Iraq to handle the legal burden on its own, the states have taken justice out of a truncated system. There are now serious concerns about due process and wrongful convictions.”
Asked by Global News about this issue last month, Foreign Minister Anita Anand did not confirm that Canadians were among those sent to Iraq.
“We are assessing the situation and communicating with our embassy officials every step of the way,” he said in Ottawa.
Global Affairs Canada similarly could not share any details Thursday, saying it would not comment for “privacy and security reasons.”
“The safety and security of Canadians remains a priority for the Canadian government while meeting the necessary legal obligations.”
Stewart.Bell@globalnews.ca
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
