Politics

Iraq fortifies border security after ISIS-afiliated families enter from Syria

Iraq reinforced troops and intensified security procedures along its western border with Syria after claims that family members of Islamic State fighters were sneaking into the country, into the district of Sinjar (Shingal), located in Iraq's embattled Nineveh province.

Mustafa Shilani 2020/01/21 18:19

middle east Iraq Sinjar ISIS Syria

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Iraq reinforced troops and intensified security procedures along its western border with Syria after claims that family members of Islamic State fighters were sneaking into the country, into the district of Sinjar (Shingal), located in Iraq's embattled Nineveh province.

According to an announcement made on Sunday by Iraq’s Defense Ministry, the commander of joint forces in Nineveh alerted his forces near the Iraqi-Syrian border to be prepared "for any sudden situation."

General Numan Zubaay met with forces under his command in Shingal, ordering them to be on full alert "to prevent any infiltration of ISIS family members from Syria who are looking to take advantage of the bad weather as a cover to cross the border into Iraq."

The decision comes after several Islamic State-affiliated women and their children passed through the border in an attempt to enter Shingal. Local Iraqi media reported that 15 women and children out of the tens of thousands held at Syria's sprawling al-Hol Camp had escaped and crossed the border on Wednesday before being arrested by Iraqi security forces.

Iraq and Syria share an unofficial border crossing linking Shingal to rural areas in Syria. Iraq closed it in December 2018 since it was not internationally recognized as an official border-crossing but has temporarily opened it multiple times to repatriate rescued Yezidi (Ezidi) women and children who had been kidnapped by the Islamic State and taken to Syria.

Despite already tight security measures imposed by the Iraqi forces on the border to prevent infiltration by militants from the extremist group in Syria, Islamic State attacks continue.

At least four security forces at a border checkpoint between Iraq and Syria were wounded by Islamic State on Jan. 14.

The week before, the group launched an attack against an Iraqi border police headquarters in the area, wounding four others.

Iraq’s security media cell said in a statement at the time that “terrorist elements” attacked “the third regiment in the fourth border police brigade within the Iraqi-Syrian borders.”

The Islamic State appears to be encouraged by escalating US-Iran tensions in the region and continues to launch attacks in an attempt to re-establish a foothold in Iraq.

Editing by John J. Catherine