Iraq wants to return hundreds of foreign women and their children detained in the country, though two foreign diplomats told AFP on Monday the process would be a lengthy one.

The initiative would exclude women condemned to death, but encompass those affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group as well as those found guilty of common crimes, an Iraqi security official told AFP.

The largest number of prisoners comes from Turkey, Azerbaijan and Russia, he said.

There are also two French women, including Djamila Boutoutaou, who was jailed for 20 years in 2018 for her links to IS.

The Iraqi authorities created a committee "charged with establishing a plan for the repatriation of foreign and Arab detainees, as well as their children", Iraqi justice ministry spokesman Ahmed Laibi said on Saturday, according to state media.

"We have hundreds of women and children in our penitentiary establishments," he said, adding that the committee was headed by the justice minister.

Deporting the women and children would also reduce prison overcrowding, Laibi said.

Prisons in Iraq are currently at 150 percent capacity, the ministry said in July.

Around 625 foreigners and 60 of their children are held in prisons in Iraq, a judicial source said, most of them linked to IS.

There are also thousands of Iraqis jailed for links to the group, often following hasty trials according to NGOs.

The jihadists were routed in 2017 in Iraq, having overrun much of the north and west of the country three years before.

The justice ministry brought together several foreign diplomats on Thursday to discuss the matter.

"I'm not sure this can happen very quickly," one European diplomat told AFP, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Repatriations "will only be possible in the case of bilateral agreements between two countries", they said.

An Arab diplomat said "such procedures cannot be completed quickly".

"To accelerate the process with countries that don't have (bilateral) agreements, Iraqi authorities have proposed using memorandums of understanding," the diplomat said.

He added that this would allow the executive power to act without waiting for parliamentary ratification.

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