Baghdad - Iraq said on Wednesday it has handed over 188
children of Islamic State militants to Turkey.
"The central investigation court in charge of terrorism and foreign
suspects has handed over to the Turkish side 188 children left by the
terrorist Daesh [Islamic State] in Iraq," said judicial spokesman
Abdul-Sattar al-Birqdar.
The spokesman added that they included a small percentage of adults
who were convicted of illegally crossing the border and having their
residencies expired.
The handover took place in the presence of a representative from the
Iraqi foreign ministry, another from the Turkish embassy in Baghdad
and international organizations, including UNICEF, he added.
The Iraqi government declared military victory over Islamic State in
December 2017, three years after the militia seized large swathes in
the northern part of the country.
Islamic State operatives, however, continue to carry out attacks and
kidnappings across Iraq.