ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s borders with Syria are the “most secure and fortified.” Baghdad’s interior ministry reassured Monday. The statement comes amid ongoing military escalation in northeast Syria (Rojava), where Damascus-affiliated “armed groups” attacked areas near two prisons holding thousands of Islamic State (ISIS) militants, according to the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
Brigadier General Miqdad Miri, spokesperson for Iraq’s interior ministry, told the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) that “all Iraqi borders are secure,” emphasizing that “our border with Syria is the most secure and fortified.”
Similarly, Lieutenant General Qais al-Muhammadawi, Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC), reaffirmed to INA that “our military units are ready for any infiltration or approach by terrorist gangs from the Iraqi-Syrian border,” adding, “We reassure our citizens that the Iraqi border with Syria is completely secure.”
Muhammadawi noted that “we have deployed thermal cameras and drones to monitor the border,” and emphasized that “the army’s aviation and all units continuously and regularly monitor the border with Syria.”
The remarks by Iraqi officials come shortly after the SDF reported a deadly escalation by Damascus-affiliated armed groups in Hasaka and Raqqa, including attacks near two prisons holding thousands of ISIS fighters.
The SDF said on X that nine of its fighters were killed and 20 others injured in clashes near al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa, while its forces lost control of al-Shaddadi prison in Hasaka province. Damascus-affiliated factions reportedly continued attacks on SDF positions in Ain Issa in northern Raqqa, describing the escalation as “extremely dangerous.”
Earlier, Sheikhmous Ahmed, who oversees camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) and refugees in Rojava, told Rudaw that Kurdish Internal Security Forces (Asayish) had “thwarted an attempt by ISIS families to escape from the al-Hol camp.”
Located southeast of Hasaka, the camp is secured by the Asayish and the SDF and houses tens of thousands, including wives and children of ISIS members. The camp is notorious for harsh living conditions and a high concentration of radicalized individuals, with Iraqis and Syrians making up the majority alongside thousands of foreign ISIS affiliates.
Ahmed said that amid the military escalation in Rojava, “the individuals in al-Hol are creating chaos and tensions within the camp, further complicating the security situation in the area.”
The escalation in Rojava occurred less than 24 hours after Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa announced that he had signed a 14-point agreement with SDF Commander Mazloum Abdi to “immediately” halt violence in the Kurdish-led enclave and integrate areas administered by the SDF into state institutions.
Under the accord, Damascus is set to assume responsibility for ISIS detainees and their families currently held by the SDF.
In a late-night video message on Sunday, Abdi said the SDF remains determined to protect the “achievements” of Rojava despite a “war” being imposed on his forces.
“This war was imposed on us. We sought to prevent it, but unfortunately it was planned by many forces,” the commander of the Kurdish-led forces said, adding that “it was intended to become a civil war, but to avoid this and prevent further senseless bloodshed, we agreed to withdraw from Deir ez-Zor and Raqqa to Hasaka. An agreement to that effect was signed.”
Of note, Abdi arrived in the Syrian capital on Monday to meet Sharaa for talks.
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