French Nationals Held in Iraq Seek Repatriation, Claim Child Soldier Status

French Nationals Held in Iraq Seek Repatriation, Claim Child Soldier Status
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Three French men detained in Iraq after being transferred from Syria are seeking repatriation to France, arguing they should be treated as victims of war rather than as suspected militants, according to their lawyers.

The men were reportedly taken to Syria as children by their parents at around age 11 or 12 and later forced to take part in activities linked to the Daesh group, including propaganda, combat, and internal policing roles. Their legal team argues that they were recruited as minors, which is prohibited under international humanitarian law, and that their involvement constitutes victimization in a war crime context.

The detainees are among approximately 5,700 suspected Daesh fighters of multiple nationalities transferred from Syria to Iraq earlier this year. France is investigating them for alleged terrorist offenses committed in Syria, while their lawyers are challenging that classification.

In legal filings in France, the men are asking to be recognized as victims of forced recruitment rather than perpetrators. Their lawyers have also criticized France for refusing earlier repatriation and for allowing their transfer to Iraqi detention facilities, which they describe as involving inhuman conditions.

The case emerges from the wider aftermath of the Daesh conflict in Syria and Iraq, where thousands of foreign fighters and family members were detained following the group’s territorial defeat between 2017 and 2019. Many Western governments have faced ongoing legal and political pressure over whether to repatriate their nationals held in the region.