Iraq tightens border security with Syria to halt ISIS movement

ISIS and drug smuggling to be reduced, says military

Deputy commander of Iraq's Joint Operations Command, Lieutenant-General Abdul Amir Al Shammari meets Iraqi troops at Al Qaim, Iraq January 18, 2021. Reuters

Iraq is taking steps to halt the movement of ISIS militants and drug smuggling along its border with Syria by imposing new security measures.

The 600-kilometre border between the two countries is controlled by a variety of forces, including the Iraqi military, Syrian army, US-backed Kurdish forces, Iran-backed militias and rebels who are anti-government.

“One of the biggest challenges is there’s no one single or unified security partner on the Syrian side,” Lt Gen Abdul Amir Al Shammari told Reuters.

The main issue, Gen Al Shammari said, is coming from Syria. The Iraqi side is more secure because it is under control of state forces.

As tensions increased between Washington and Tehran the border was seen as a hot spot that is intensifying owing to the presence of ISIS and Turkish pressure on Kurdish fighters.

Iraqi army spokesman Brig Gen Yahya Rasool, said on Monday that the army is exerting all efforts to ensure that borders with Syria are secure after orders from Prime Minister Mustafa Al Kadhimi.

Gen Rasool said security forces are focusing their operations on north-east Syria, where they believe ISIS militants are hiding.

“So far we have seen positive results,” he said.

Security experts believe that controlling the border with Syria is a cause for concern for the Iraqi government.

"The 600km border requires constant monitoring but Iraq has launched various operations since last year to control the borders," chief of Iraq Institute for Strategic Studies and security expert Moataz Moheddin said.

Co-ordination between Baghdad and Damascus is needed to ensure the safety of borders, he said, especially because the Syrian army does not control the majority of its borders.

On Wednesday, Iraq’s intelligence service said it arrested three ISIS fighters in an undercover operation in the northern province of Kirkuk.

Despite the government announcing victory over ISIS in 2017, remnants and cells of the group still regularly stage hit-and-run attacks or plant explosives across the country.

This week, authorities seized drugs and unlicensed weapons belonging to a criminal network in Baghdad.

Nearly 20 drug dealers were arrested for running a network in the capital and other cities across the country.

Authorities said that seven kilograms of drugs were seized, including crystal meth, hashish and marijuana.