Militia targets Syrians in Iraq accused of supporting HTS crackdown

Iraqi leader orders new security team to pursue members of Ya Ali Popular Formations after attack on Syrians in bakery

Syrian security forces inspect vehicles at a checkpoint in Latakia after recent sectarian violence. AP

Iraq's prime minister on Wednesday ordered the formation of a security team to pursue a Shiite militia that has been targeting Syrians in Iraq for allegedly supporting the killing of hundreds of people in a security campaign across the border.

The previously unknown militia, which calls itself Ya Ali Popular Formations, said it has been following the activities of Syrians on social media who have been “praising” the rule of new president Ahmad Al Shara and the security forces' campaign in Syria’s coastal areas.

In one recent incident in Iraq, three black-clad masked men were filmed breaking into a bakery, slapping one of its two workers and searching their phones. One of the men was carrying a pistol. A statement issued by Ya Ali called on the Iraqi government to act against Syrians supporting Mr Al Shara.

The new Syrian president was based in Iraq as a fighter for Al Qaeda before he broke ties with the extremist group in 2016 and created Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, which took power in Damascus last December in a rebel offensive that toppled former president Bashar Al Assad.

Memories are still raw among many Iraqis of a Sunni-led insurgency in which Mr Al Shara took part that plagued Iraq after the US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003. Ya Ali has denounced the recent killings in Syria, saying “we will not tolerate the glorification of terrorism in our country as we have been burned by its fire more than anyone else”.

Members of the Alawite minority gather on Tuesday outside a Russian air base in Hmeimim, near Latakia in Syria's coastal region, seeking refuge. AP

The Iraqi government was a staunch supporter of Mr Al Assad's regime. He is from Syria's minority Alawite community that has been targeted in the security campaign over the past week.

Baghdad has condemned the attacks on “innocent civilians” in Syria. But in an apparent move to calm tensions, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al Sudani on Wednesday denounced the assault filmed in the Iraqi bakery as “shameful acts of violence against a number of Syrian brothers working in Iraq”.

He ordered the “formation of a specialised security team to pursue those who commit these illegal acts that have nothing to do with the morals of Iraqis”, said a statement.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry also denounced what it called “violations of human rights and international law” against Syrians in Iraq. “We call on the Iraqi government to hold accountable the perpetrators of these crimes and take all necessary measures to ensure the security and safety of Syrians residing in Iraq,” it said in a statement.

This month, Iraqi security forces arrested three Syrian refugees reportedly for posting content in support of the Syrian government's military operations and publishing video appearing to show members of Hayat Tahrir Al Sham vowing to fight Shiites in Iraq.

In a statement on Wednesday, Iraqi Interior Ministry said it had “documented several illegal incidents with a sectarian dimension, promoting and inciting violence by some, not all, the residents. This is totally rejected and all those residing in Iraq must respect the law, values, customs and traditions”.

It also warned that “all those who overstep the boundaries of Iraqi laws and engage in actions that render them accountable under the law, and every resident found disseminating information detrimental to the values of the Iraqi society will be subject to deportation”.

Since Thursday, more than 1,300 people, including 973 civilians, mostly Alawites, have been killed in a wave of sectarian violence in areas along Syria's Mediterranean coast, according to figures compiled by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The UK war monitor said “killings and field executions” were recorded in Tartus, Baniyas and areas of Latakia.

The fighting broke out after gunmen loyal to Mr Al Assad attacked Syrian security forces. On Monday, troops with Syria's new government announced the end of the large-scale offensive but said they would continue chasing remnants of the Assad regime.

Mr Al Shara pledged in a video released on Sunday that his government would hold anyone involved in the killing of civilians accountable. The presidency announced an “independent committee” had been formed to “investigate the violations and identify those responsible”.

Unlike other countries in the region, Iraq is thought to view the new rulers in Damascus with suspicion, despite officially welcoming the regime change. It has called for an inclusive political process in Syria and expressed concern over the danger posed by a resurgent ISIS.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrians have found shelter in Iraq since the outbreak of Syria’s civil war in 2011. Many have been settled as refugees in camps in the autonomous region of Kurdistan, but some have sneaked into other parts of Iraq to work illegally.