Iraq sends Syrian soldiers who fled rebel offensive back to their country

More than 2,000 Syrian soldiers crossed to Iraq with their weapons and equipment as rebels toppled Al Assad's regime

A Syrian soldier searches through documents outside the Mezzeh airbase, near Damascus, after rebels ousted president Bashar Al Assad. EPA

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Iraqi authorities have started to send Syrian soldiers who fled an offensive that toppled president Bashar Al Assad back to their country.

More than 2,000 Syrian troops crossed into Iraq with their weapons and equipment, as rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham advanced on Damascus. After handing their weapons to Iraqi authorities, the soldiers were placed in a camp in the town of Rutba, in western Anbar province.

"The competent Iraqi authorities began on Thursday to return the Syrian soldiers to their country," said Brig Gen Muqdad Miri, spokesman for the Interior Ministry and the Security Media Cell. "The operation was carried out after co-ordination with the concerned Syrian authorities."

The handover took place at Al Qaim border crossing, in western Iraq.

On November 27, rebels led by HTS launched a lightning offensive that ended on December 8 when they entered Damascus and toppled Mr Al Assad's regime. The former president fled to Moscow, where he was granted asylum, along with his family, on humanitarian grounds, ending more than five decades of his family's rule.

In the past 10 days, HTS has appointed a new interim government and urged Syrians abroad, some displaced for more than a decade, to return to their homeland. It also allowed former Syrian soldiers who served under Mr Al Assad's regime to reconcile their status with the interim government. The plan is to register their details so they can obtain new identity cards, allowing them to live freely and move around the country.

Life in Damascus is steadily returning to normal. Schools have reopened and social services are being restored. Foreign embassies are also reopening. Several foreign delegations have travelled to the Syrian capital for talks with the country’s new leaders.