ISIS reorganising its ranks in Syria, warns Iraq

The group was declared territorially defeated in 2017

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein says his country must guard against attack, as rebels pressed a shock offensive in neighbouring Syria. AFP

Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned that ISIS was reorganising its ranks and exploiting the political vacuum and chaos in Syria where rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham toppled president Bashar Al Assad's regime.

In a phone call on Wednesday evening with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, Mr Hussein explained that “the situation in Syria is highly complex, with different armed groups controlling various areas”. He pointed out that ISIS has begun “reorganising its ranks, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the collapse of the Syrian army and the withdrawal of [US-backed Kurdish forces] Syrian Democratic Forces to the eastern side of the Euphrates River”.

He urged swift action to secure prisons holding ISIS leaders and fighters, as well as urgently addressing the issue of Al Hol camp, which houses thousands of families with links to the extremist group, and is currently guarded by the SDF – currently engaged in clashes with Turkish-backed factions.

In a lightning offensive that kicked off on November 27, the Syrian rebels overthrew Mr Al Assad and took control of the country. The former president fled to Moscow on December 8, where he was granted asylum along with his family on humanitarian grounds, ending more than five decades of his family's iron-fisted rule. An interim government led by HTS is running the country.

That has raised fears in Baghdad of instability across Iraq's western border and a possible spillover of sectarian violence. Since the HTS assault, Iraq has stepped up security along its 600km border with Syria, posting thousands of troops and members of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of factions under the Iraqi army that includes several pro-Iranian militias.

For his part, Mr Guterres echoed the same concerns, affirming that the UN, through its representative in Syria, is “continuously monitoring the situation and challenges there”, emphasising the importance of supporting the Syrian people.

He also expressed concern about potential tensions between certain groups, armed factions and the “increasing likelihood of conflict between them”.

ISIS overran large parts of Iraq and Syria, in the summer of 2014, declaring a caliphate that spanned areas of both countries. During that time, it led a campaign of widespread and systematic violations of international human rights and humanitarian law.

Iraqi troops, backed by a US-led international coalition, reclaimed all ISIS-held territory in Iraq in late 2017, after three years of fighting. However, ISIS fighters carry out sporadic attacks, mainly in rural areas. The US has about 900 troops left in north-eastern Syria aimed at fighting ISIS.