NGMSElect™ and Investigator® Argus X-12 analysis in population samples from Albania, Iraq, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Turkey

•Five populations from Albania, Iraq, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Turkey were investigated.•Two sets of forensic genetic markers were used: NGM SElect™ (646 individuals), and Argus X-12 (534 individuals).•No statistically significant deviations from HWE were observed and pairwise LD was only detected in X-STRs between markers located in the same linkage group.•Comparison with published data showed that the populations in this study had lower pairwise FST values with those populations that are geographically close.•The power of discrimination values for males and females and the probability of exclusion in duos and trios were high for the populations in this study.