Southern Hashd fighters prepare for cold winter in northern Iraq

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region — In the northern Iraqi province of Nineveh, the Hashd al-Shaabi — primarily from areas with warmer climates — are resupplying their forces for winter to bolster border security with Syria.

They are gathering in the strategic district of Baaj a key route ISIS fighters once used between Iraq's Mosul and Syria's Raqqa.

"From here and onward is considered the frontline. From here is the Syrian border, and this side is al-Jazira, which is an open area," a Hashd al-Shaabi fighter, Munif, told AP on Tuesday.

Nineveh is historically a diverse, but predominately Sunni Arab, province in Iraq. The presence of mostly Shiite Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitaries was necessitated in the ISIS conflict.

"Thanks to God, despite all of these, we are in command here, and the forces have a presence and it is composed of everyone from the area and from the south," said Munif.

The Hashd, which greatly outnumber the Iraqi Army and other Iraqi Security Forces, have remained in many areas of northern Iraq.

"There is no distinguishing. I am from the area and I have people with me from the south, from Baghdad and Basra. There is no difference in our duties or anything else. I mean we live and sleep in the same place," said Munif.

A Hashd commander, Seyyid Dhiaa, believes his fighters are faring well. Temperatures reach 50 Celsius in the summer, but have now fallen into the single digits.

"The weather is cold, and the rains are heavy here. God willing, we are getting used to it and adapting to the weather here. Thanks and praise to God, we are controlling all the gates of Baaj and the border gates," said Dhiaa.

The rainy season has hit Iraq especially hard this year, leading to the flooding of camps and low-lying areas of the Nineveh Plains.

The Hashd have to cross checkpoints of Sunni forces like Saad al-Shemmeri, the head of the al-Nujaba force in Mosul. They are both concerned about recent reports of fierce ISIS fighting across the border where the Syrian Democratic Forces backed by the US-led coalition have faced difficult conditions clearing the extremists from their final hideouts east of the Euphrates.

"We don't know whether it was malicious intent by Syrian Democratic Forces to withdraw and hand over their sectors to Daesh forces without a fight," said Shemmeri.

The SDF has not confirmed it gave back any territory to ISIS, and the coalition maintains they have liberated nearly 98 percent of the territory ISIS once held by the extremists in SDF areas. 

There were reports of high casualties on both sides and slowing in operations because some SDF member from the mostly Kurdish Peoples’ Protection Units (YPG) went to areas of northern Syria they call Rojava to defend against Turkish aggression.

"We don't know either why these forces didn't coordinate with the regular [regime] forces to replace Syrian Democratic Forces with the regular forces, if they truly care for the Syrian soil. Of course, this issue has raised a lot of concern for us," said Shemmeri.

Iraqi Army and Air Force have provided air support to the SDF. Near the al-Qaim – al-Boukamal crossing in the Middle Euphrates River Valley the Hashd al-Shaabi has made incursions to support forces loyal to the Syrian regime.

The Hashd al-Shaabi, a paramilitary force officially recognized by the Iraqi government, has been problematic for the US-led anti-ISIS coalition because of some militia leaders’ ties to Iran and previous attacks on US forces during the invasion and resurgence. 

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