Canada rejects Iraqi government's claim that Ottawa will take detainees from ISIL era

Residents walk along the al-Hol camp, one of the detention facilities holding thousands of Islamic State group members and their families, now under the control of the Syrian government following the withdrawal of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), in al-Hassakeh province, northeastern Syria, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026. (AP Photo/Ghaith Alsayed)

OTTAWA — Global Affairs Canada is rejecting a claim by the Iraqi government that Ottawa will bring home Canadian men detained during the rule of the Islamic State group.

The Iraqi claim followed a meeting on Tuesday between Canada’s ambassador in Baghdad, Christopher Boehm, and Iraq’s national security adviser Qasim Al-Araji.

Al-Araji’s office issued a summary in Arabic and English stating that Boehm “indicated his government’s readiness to receive its nationals among the detainees who were recently handed over” to Iraq.

Foreign nationals were held in detention centres in Syria for years by Kurdish forces that reclaimed the strife-torn region from the militant group that called itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

It was reported earlier this year that prisoners from various countries, including Canada, were being moved to Iraq in response to a request from officials in Baghdad that was welcomed by the Syrian government and the U.S.-led coalition against the Islamic State.

Sally Lane, the mother of Jack Letts, a Canadian man who was held in Syria, asked Ottawa about the Tuesday statement from the Iraqi government. A Global Affairs consular officer said Baghdad did not accurately convey what Boehm said.

“This information is incorrect and Ambassador Boehm was unfortunately misquoted,” the officer wrote this week. “Canada is not currently in the process of repatriating any detained Canadians from Iraq.”

Al-Araji’s office did not respond to a Thursday request for comment.

In a statement to The Canadian Press, Global Affairs insisted it is not currently repatriating Canadians.

“Global Affairs Canada continues to evaluate the provision of extraordinary assistance, including repatriation to Canada, on a case-by-case basis,” spokeswoman Thida Ith wrote Tuesday.

“Canadian consular officials are actively engaged with stakeholders in the region for updates on the situation. Due to privacy and operational security considerations, we cannot comment on specific cases.”

Lane noted the department’s message to her did not explain what Canada’s ambassador actually said. She said she fears her son will be subjected to a trial that doesn’t meet evidentiary standards and that Ottawa has indicated it doesn’t interfere in foreign justice systems.

“We are still completely in the dark as to what Canada’s plan is for our loved ones,” she wrote Friday in a message to The Canadian Press, arguing Ottawa could be effectively condoning life sentences.

“I can no longer even describe my horror and disbelief at the sheer cruelty of our representatives who are supposed to protect the rights of all Canadians abroad,” Lane wrote.

In recent years, some Canadian women and children have been repatriated from Syria with help from Canadian officials and the co-operation of Kurdish authorities. Ottawa has declined to help repatriate Canadian men.

The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that Ottawa was not obligated under the law to repatriate Letts and three other Canadian men. The Supreme Court of Canada declined in 2024 to hear an appeal of the ruling.

A month ago, Global Affairs told Lane her son may have been transferred to Iraq from northeastern Syria, adding that Canadian officials were still working to confirm his identity because the information the department had was incomplete.

Amnesty International has warned of serious rights violations and poor conditions in Iraq, including overcrowded and unsanitary prisons, unfair trials and mass executions.

Letts’s parents have said they are aware of no evidence their son became a terrorist fighter. They said Jack stood against ISIL and was even put on trial for publicly condemning the group.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March, 13, 2026.

Dylan Robertson and Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press