US Plays Keep-Away with ISIS Detainees
📰 THE STORY: The New Arab reports that the US has slowed the transfer of Islamic State detainees from Syria to Iraq, citing sources who suggest concerns over fair trials in Iraqi courts. This comes as former US officials advocate for other nations to repatriate their citizens held in Syrian camps. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'slowdown' is rich with irony given the
US's foundational role in creating the conditions prime for ISIS. Recall the 2003 US invasion of Iraq, based on fabricated WMD claims à la Colin Powell at the UN, which led to the dismantling of the Iraqi state and military. This power vacuum, exacerbated by the sectarian policies of subsequent US-backed governments, directly fueled the rise of extremist groups like ISIS. The US isn't just
'transferring' detainees; it's managing the fallout of its own catastrophic intervention, 21 years later, while retaining operational control. Double Standard: The concern for 'fair trials' in Iraq rings hollow from a nation with Guantanamo Bay, an extrajudicial prison where detainees have been held without charge or trial for over two decades, brutalized, and subjected to torture, as documented
by the Senate Intelligence Committee's report on CIA torture in 2014. The US 'concerns' for Iraqi legal processes are purely performative, designed to maintain control over the process, not to genuinely uphold justice for these individuals, many of whom are Iraqis. Where was this concern for due process when the US was flooding Iraq with depleted uranium and white phosphorus? Follow the Money: The