ISIS seeks prisoner swap deal with Iraqi government

The Islamic State (ISIS) is seeking to strike a prisoner swap deal with the Iraqi government, sources told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Sources said ISIS would agree to release hundreds of police, army and local government officials in exchange for the Iraqi government freeing prominent ISIS members who were arrested during the recent unrest in the country.

A prominent tribal elder in the city of Mosul told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that ISIS has been holding hundreds of Iraqi security forces, members of the army, as well as staff and local officials in secret prisons for months.

“ISIS stopped killing prisoners days ago, in conjunction with leaked reports of a prisoner swap between captured members of its organisation, including prominent leaders,” the official explained.

He added that “approximately 21 scholars and clerics are also held by the organisation, because they refused to swear allegiance to it and promote it, as well as well-known leaders of the Iraqi Islamic Party and tribal leaders.”

The detainees are held in Mosul, Fallujah and Tikrit, while some prominent figures were moved to Syria a few days ago, the official explained. “The information we have at hand indicates ISIS’ intention to find a way to swap the prisoners in exchange for its prominent figures help by the Iraqi government.”

There are no international laws preventing the Iraqi government from negotiating with ISIS.

Political analyst Fouad Ali said: “If it is true that ISIS is venturing towards this step, then it shows that the group has a major crisis in recruiting new members, especially leaders, after the success of the international coalition to hurt and strike the organisation.”

Recent coalition strikes have targeted the ISIS leadership and killed a number of them.