Iraq to strengthen Iraq-Syria border security in Shingal : Minister of Interior

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region —  Iraq is to tighten security on the Iraq-Syria border in the Shingal district, the Iraqi Minister of Interior said on Tuesday. 

Iraqi Minister of Interior Othman al-Ghanmi and  the army chief-of-staff Abdelamir Yarallah visited Shingal on Monday, where they conducted a field visit to the border area.

“The Minister affirmed the continuity of work in fully securing the border, preventing infiltration and smuggling that kills the country's economy, as well as preventing the infiltration of terrorist elements in accordance with international agreements on border security,” read a statement from Ghanmi on Facebook.

The border area in Shingal has long been a hub for the smuggling of cigarettes, livestock, and even armed forces.

As part of the Shingal agreement, nearly 6,000 Iraqi federal police were deployed to the border in November.

“Three brigades of Iraqi federal forces are placed on the border between Shingal and Syria in order to prevent any forces from going back and forth,” Deputy Governor of Nineveh province Sirwan Rozhbayani told Rudaw in November.

“Our support will continue to our forces on the border in order to prevent smuggling,” Saad Maan, the head of the Ministry of Interior’s media office told Rudaw’s Tahsin Qasim on Monday.

There are a myriad of armed forces in Shingal with various allegiances, including  the Kurdistan Region Peshmerga, pro-Iran Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF, or Hashd al-Shaabi in Arabic), and groups affiliated to the PKK. They gained footholds in Shingal after ousting the Islamic State group (ISIS), which invaded the region in 2014, committing genocide against the Yazidi ethno-religious minority which made up the majority of Shingal’s residents. Disputes over control of the area have prevented most of the Yazidi population from returning to their homes.

Under the October agreement, security for the troubled region is Baghdad's responsibility. The federal government is to establish a new armed force recruited from the local population and expel all militias.

“Today we see that implementation of the agreement has started – the federal forces are here and life is returning to normal,” Iraqi Joint Operations Command (JOC) spokesperson Tahsin al-Khafaji told Rudaw’s Tahsin Qasim in March.

His forces, however, face resistance.

“Our administration does not accept Iraq’s request. Our people trust the YBS and Asayish [Kurdish internal security forces],” Riham Hajo, co-chair of a  governing council linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) said at the time.  

The Shingal Resistance Units (YBS) and Asayish in Shingal are both linked to the PKK. Clashes broke out between their supporters and the Iraqi army earlier in March.