Middle East
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (left) received the head of Iraq’s pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) Falih al-Fayyadh in Damascus on May 6, 2024. Photo: SANA
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Monday received the head of Iraq’s pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi) Falih al-Fayyadh in Damascus, discussing coordination on Syria-Iraq borders.
“Talks during the meeting dealt with means of enhancing cooperation between Syria and Iraq in the domain of combating terrorism, effective coordination to control borders and hunting extremist organizations and their remnants that seek to threaten the security of the two countries,” reported Syrian state media, SANA.
Iraq shares an extensive border with Syria, one which spans over 600-kilometers.
Only part of the Iraq-Syria border is controlled by Assad's regime. The majority of the border is held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Iraq has been building a concrete wall along its borders with Syria in recent years in a bid to prevent smuggling and the movement of armed groups.
The Islamic State (ISIS) controlled vast swathes of Syrian and Iraqi land, especially bordering areas, in 2014. The extremist group facilitated the movement of fighters, captives, and weapons between both countries.
The group was territorially defeated by both countries by 2019.
Smuggling of narcotics on the Iraq-Syria border is also another issue.
The interior ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon held a quadrilateral meeting in Amman in February, announcing cooperation on combating narcotics and the spread of illegal substances.
Jordan has become a transit point of drugs, particularly captagon, being smuggled out of Syria which has turned into a Middle Eastern hub for narcotics.
“Talks during the meeting dealt with means of enhancing cooperation between Syria and Iraq in the domain of combating terrorism, effective coordination to control borders and hunting extremist organizations and their remnants that seek to threaten the security of the two countries,” reported Syrian state media, SANA.
Iraq shares an extensive border with Syria, one which spans over 600-kilometers.
Only part of the Iraq-Syria border is controlled by Assad's regime. The majority of the border is held by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Iraq has been building a concrete wall along its borders with Syria in recent years in a bid to prevent smuggling and the movement of armed groups.
The Islamic State (ISIS) controlled vast swathes of Syrian and Iraqi land, especially bordering areas, in 2014. The extremist group facilitated the movement of fighters, captives, and weapons between both countries.
The group was territorially defeated by both countries by 2019.
Smuggling of narcotics on the Iraq-Syria border is also another issue.
The interior ministers of Iraq, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon held a quadrilateral meeting in Amman in February, announcing cooperation on combating narcotics and the spread of illegal substances.
Jordan has become a transit point of drugs, particularly captagon, being smuggled out of Syria which has turned into a Middle Eastern hub for narcotics.
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