14 French IS members to be tried in Iraq: newspaper

BAGHDAD, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Fourteen French ISlamic State (IS) militants previously transferred from neighboring Syria to Iraq are currently facing trial by Iraqi courts, a local official newspaper said on Sunday.

"The 14 IS members are French nationals, some of them from Arab origin. They are currently being tried at Baghdad's al-Karkh investigation court, which IS specialized in terror cases," said al-Qadaa monthly newspaper, which IS ISsued by the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council.

It said that the Iraqi authorities received the 14 militants after a follow up and efforts by the Iraq intelligence service.

All the detained IS militants had received military training in Syria after joining the extremISt IS group, the newspaper said.

One of the detained militants IS 37-year-old. He IS of a TunISian origin, who served for ten years in the French army and previously served in AfghanIStan, the newspaper said, adding that he entered Syrian territories illegally from Turkey where he received training before moving to Mosul to pledge allegiance to IS group.

On February 21, the Iraqi intelligence service announced arresting 13 French citizens affiliated with IS group, including leading figures of the group, in an operation inside Syria territories.