Iraq
Iraqi forces are deployed along the Iraqi-Syrian border amid heightened security measures on January 20, 2026. Photo: Ministry of Defense
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Top Iraqi officials on Tuesday warned that the Islamic State (ISIS) remains a serious threat to regional and global security, asserting that coordination between Baghdad and Iraq’s Kurdistan Region has secured the country’s borders amid instability in neighboring Syria.
Iraqi National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said ISIS is taking advantage of security gaps caused by the escalating conflict in Syria, where ISIS prisoners escaped amid clashes between Kurdish forces and armed groups as the Syrian army seized Kurdish-held areas. Syria announced a four-day ceasefire to pause the fighting.
“We affirm that the threat posed by the terrorist organization ISIS continues to constitute a real danger to the security of the region and the world,” Araji wrote in a post on X.
He said ISIS is exploiting the instability in Syria and “security and humanitarian gaps” created by years of war and conflict, urging stronger international coordination to confront the group.
“Iraq calls for the unification of international and regional efforts to combat the terrorist organization ISIS in a comprehensive manner,” Araji said.
Those efforts must include “security coordination, support for political solutions, and addressing the root causes of extremism, in order to ensure the preservation of security and stability and the achievement of sustainable peace in the region and the world,” he said.
Araji's remarks came after the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on Tuesday announced they had withdrawn from the notorious al-Hol camp near the Iraqi border, following reports of “fierce clashes” with Damascus-affiliated armed groups in the area.
The military escalation by the Syrian army and allied factions against Kurdish forces in northeast Syria (Rojava) threatened to destabilize northeast Syria, where the SDF also said it lost control of al-Shaddadi prison holding “thousands of ISIS militants.” Other SDF-controlled prisons holding ISIS fighters were also coming under attack, the SDF said, raising fears that thousands of extremists could escape and threaten security in Syria and neighboring Iraq.
Located in southeast Hasaka, al-Hol camp holds an estimated 25,000 people, nearly all of whom are women and children who lived under ISIS. Notorious for dire living conditions and holding radicalized individuals including the family members of ISIS fighters, experts and local officials have long warned the camp is a breeding ground for extremism. The camp was hosting over 4,000 Iraqis; another 20,000 returned and were reintegrated into local communities after attending deradicalization programs.
Emergency security meeting in Baghdad
On Tuesday, senior Iraqi officials held an emergency security meeting chaired by Iraqi Prime Minister and Army Commander Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani on Syria and regional threats, according to a statement by spokesperson for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) Sabah al-Numan.
The meeting was attended by Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, senior military and security commanders and Kurdistan Region officials in Baghdad including top Peshmerga officials.
Sudani said Iraq’s borders, particularly with Syria, remain fully secure and under control by Iraqi forces as fighting escalated.
“The international borders, particularly with neighboring Syria, are fully secured, and Iraqi forces are very capable of preventing any attempts at infiltration into Iraqi territory,” Sudani said.
“Terrorist gangs no longer have the capacity to carry out any attempts - whether along the borders or inside cities - after suffering decisive blows at the hands of the heroes of Iraq’s security forces,” he added.
Iraq has reinforced its border with Syria and security forces are under orders to constantly monitor and respond to any threats, Sudani said. He pledged “full support” for Kurdistan Region (Peshmerga) border units.
“Any attempt to undermine security along the shared borders must be dealt with firmly,” he said.
Sudani urged Syrian authorities to “ensure full control over prisons and prevent the escape of terrorist or criminal elements,” stressing the need for regional and international countries to support stability in Syria.
Border security cooperation with Peshmerga
Defense Ministry spokesman Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji told Rudaw in a statement that close cooperation between the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iraqi security agencies have ensured border security since ISIS was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017.
Since then, “Iraq has worked on developing a strategic plan for border control,” Khafaji said.
“All [unofficial] crossings will be closed soon, as the Iraqi government, in cooperation with the Kurdistan Regional Government, is working to install concrete barriers,” he said. “Work is continuing to complete them, and very little remains before all crossings are fully closed.”
Iraq has not had “any security breaches along our borders from 2024 until this very moment, despite the complex situation in Syria,” he said.
Security forces have arrested and killed ISIS members in remote areas including through airstrikes last year that killed 80 militants hiding in rugged, hard-to-reach areas, he said.
“Our priority is to prevent any threat to our country and the rights of our people,” he maintained.
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