Iraq warns fire on any Daesh approach from Syria
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- Iraq warns it will open fire on any Daesh movement near Syrian border after prison escape claims.
- Syrian-Iraqi border fortified with trenches, walls, cameras, and military coordination amid rising tensions.
Iraq has warned that any approach by Daesh elements toward its border with Syria will be met with open fire, following claims that the Syrian Democratic Forces released Daesh prisoners near the Iraqi frontier.
Border security measures
Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari told the Iraqi News Agency on Monday that Baghdad monitors developments in Syria daily, saying it had anticipated such events three years ago. He detailed extensive border preparations, including a 620-kilometer trench, reinforced fortifications, and thermal cameras operating day and night.
Read more: US forces kill Daesh leader linked to Syria ambush
Al-Shammari added that all border sectors are fully armed and supported by army aviation and air forces, ensuring complete security along the frontier.
Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqi security forces to maintain maximum readiness, warning citizens to remain vigilant and report any suspicious movements. The commander of Anbar operations under the Popular Mobilization Forces confirmed the border is fully secured with the highest level of coordination.
Fortifications and monitoring
Iraq has strengthened the more than 600-kilometer border with Syria over recent years with trenches, concrete walls, barbed wire, and around 1,000 thermal laser cameras. Hundreds of observation towers and drone patrols support the border, while frontline and reserve forces from the army, Popular Mobilization Forces, and border guards are ready to respond to any incursion.
Rising tensions in Syria
Earlier Monday, the Syrian army announced control over the city of al-Shaddadi and its prison in Hasakah countryside, pursuing Daesh fighters accused of escaping with SDF support. Damascus warned the SDF against facilitating further escapes, labeling any such action a war crime and a direct collusion with terrorism.
Read more: Syrian army says has taken Euphrates Dam from SDF in Kurdish-held city
On Sunday, Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa signed a ceasefire with the SDF, including integration of its fighters into government structures and full state control over prisons and camps holding Daesh detainees. The agreement followed a Syrian military operation reclaiming extensive areas in eastern and northeastern Syria after repeated SDF violations of a ten-month-old deal.
President al-Sharaa’s administration has intensified efforts to restore security and state authority across Syria since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad on December eight, 2024.
