U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani discussed efforts to accelerate the repatriation of foreign nationals transferred to secure detention facilities in Iraq following recent instability in northeast Syria, the U.S. State Department said on Jan. 25.
Rubio commended Iraq for its “initiative and leadership in expediting the transfer and detention of ISIS terrorists to secure facilities in Iraq” from Syria, according to Tommy Pigott, the department’s principal deputy spokesperson.
“The Secretary and Prime Minister discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts to ensure countries rapidly repatriate their citizens in Iraq, bringing them to justice,” Pigott stated.
The call came days after U.S.Central Command announced it had launched a mission to transfer up to 7,000 ISIS detainees from Syria to Iraq.
The two leaders also discussed “Iraq’s ongoing deliberations to form a government.”
Rubio emphasized that an Iran-aligned government would be unable to put Iraq’s interests first, keep the country out of regional conflicts or advance the “mutually beneficial” U.S.-Iraq partnership.
