Confusion mounts following Abadi’s statement about Iraqi operations against IS in Syria

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – Following Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi’s suggestion that his country could send forces to Syria to combat the Islamic State (IS), there have been conflicting reports about the deployment of Iraqi troops across the border.

During a press conference earlier in the week, Abadi highlighted the presence of IS militants in neighboring Syria as “a real danger.”

He also noted that any operation to combat the extremists would be done in coordination with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“Our plan is to move from fighting terrorism in Iraq to fighting terrorism in the region,” Abadi explained, adding that the Iraqi military leadership was considering the proposal. “We are not trespassing over our border or attacking neighboring countries.”

In a statement, Iraqi Defense Ministry spokesperson Tahseen Ibrahim denied rumors circulating online and said that “security forces had not conducted any military operations inside the Syrian borders.”

However, he noted that Baghdad had begun “tracking IS elements on the intelligence level by sharing information with other countries.”

Last year, Iraqi warplanes were responsible for at least one airstrike targeting IS militants in Syria, in coordination with the US-led anti-IS coalition and approval of the Syrian government.

Hisham al-Hashimi, a terrorism and extremism expert who advises several governments on IS, including the central government in Baghdad, told Reuters on Wednesday that the Iraqi government could carry out “special operations” against the extremist group inside Syria.

“While troops could be dropped into Syria, the plan did not at this stage involve sending ground forces over the border,” he explained.  

Meanwhile, a top Syrian Kurdish politician suggested the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and Iraqi government could work together to defeat IS on the neighboring countries’ borders.

Aldar Xelil, the co-chair of the Movement for a Democratic Society, said Turkey’s offensive in Afrin had affected the fight against IS in Syria, mainly in the east on the border with Iraq.

“[IS] is present in the shared area between us [Syria-Iraq], and this points to the possibility of conditions arising that would pave the way for joint actions against” the extremist group, he told Reuters.

Despite Abadi’s “final victory” announcement against IS last December, he recently admitted that the group is still present in the country.