Iraqi court hands life terms to six French ISIS members

An Iraqi court sentenced six French nationals convicted of Islamic State membership to life imprisonment and a seventh to 15 years, in the first verdicts involving 47 French suspects transferred from detention in northeastern Syria to Iraq. The judge said the defendants avoided the death penalty because they were young, while prosecutors cited their membership in the group and threats to public safety; the defense plans to appeal. Reports differed on whether the six longer sentences were formally life terms or 20 years. The case reflects ongoing efforts to prosecute foreign Islamic State detainees in Iraq amid security concerns at detention facilities in Syria.