ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Iraq will process cases relating to the recently-transferred Islamic State (ISIS) prisoners from Syria without any outside interference, an official said Sunday.

Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, told state media that the transferred prisoners are held in “fortified precautionary centers equipped with all approved protection and security measures,” and that the cases will be purely handled by Iraq’s judiciary without any outside influence.

Priority will be given to those who committed crimes in Iraq while the foreign ministry coordinates with other countries to repatriate their nationals, he added.

The judicial process will include intelligence work, information analysis, and rehabilitation programs.

A violent offensive by the Syrian Arab Army on Rojava (northeast Syria) last month presented a major threat of ISIS members taking advantage of the security vacuum to escape facilities.

Factions affiliated with the Syrian government have taken control of the al-Shaddadi prison and al-Hol camp in Hasaka, as well as al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa. The three sites, previously held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), house tens of thousands of ISIS members and their families, raising concerns about a potential reemergence of the terror group amid the instability.

Baghdad is coordinating with Washington to transfer some 7,000 ISIS prisoners from Syria.

The US military and the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS have been heavily involved in facilitating the transfers, with US National Counterterrorism Center Director Joe Kent visiting Baghdad in January to meet with Iraqi security officials on the matter.

The risk of ISIS remnants exploiting the Iraq-Syria border area has long been noted, with authorities having endeavored to secure crossing points and manage cross-border traffic.