Iraqi official says around 2,000 Syrian soldiers have crossed into country

By AP 7 December 2024, 10:32 pm

18 Edit

An Iraqi government spokesperson says about 2,000 Syrian army soldiers have crossed into Iraq seeking refuge as opposition forces advance in Syria.

Bassem al-Awadi says the soldiers’ equipment and weapons were registered and taken into custody by the Iraqi army. “We dealt with them according to the principle of good neighborliness and humanity,” he says.

Al-Awadi also says Iraqi officials are concerned about the security of the al-Hol camp and other facilities in northeast Syria where suspected ISIS members and their families are detained. The facilities are guarded by US-backed Kurdish forces.

Al-Awadi says there is “high-security coordination” between Iraqi officials and those forces to “prevent the prisoners from escaping.”