Iraqi forces intensify operations near Syrian border to prevent terrorist infiltration
Shafaq News/ Iraqi forces intensify preemptive operations in Nineveh's Al-Jazeera region near the Syrian border to prevent terrorist infiltration following the release of detainees by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in eastern Syria.
An Iraqi army source told Shafaq News Agency that “the 71st and 73rd Infantry Brigades, alongside the Intelligence Service, National Security Service, Tal Afar Police, and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), conducted a two-pronged military operation in abandoned areas and structures, valleys, and unpaved roads within Nineveh Governorate.”
"The suspects were arrested."
On Thursday, the Border Guard Forces Command stated “that the Iraqi-Syrian border is highly secure, with no infiltration attempts or threats, as Iraqi army units in the second line of defense provide substantial support to the border forces deep inside Iraq.”
A day before, Iraq’s military and paramilitary forces heightened security along the Syrian border due to escalating clashes between Arab tribes and the SDF, with the PMF ordering its units to reinforce the Nineveh border to prevent potential spillover from the conflict in Syria.
Earlier, Hamid al-Yasiri, the commander of the Ansar al-Marjiya Brigade in the PMF, ordered brigade members, including those on leave, to report for duty in Nineveh's al-Jazeera sector."
On July 23, 2024, the SDF released 147 detainees from Syrian prisons and planned to release more from other facilities following a general amnesty.
Following the SDF's capture of northeastern Syria with US Coalition support, about 10,000 ISIS fighters are detained in high-security facilities, including the large Ghweran Prison in Hasakah. Over 50,000 ISIS-linked individuals are in camps like Al-Hol, with many facilities located near US bases.
