Iraqi Fighters Join Pro-Government Militias in Syria’s Suwayda Clashes – Tasnim

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Several Iraqi tribal militia fighters from Anbar province have reportedly taken part in the ongoing armed confrontations in Syria’s Suwayda region over the past two weeks, transferring weapons and personnel across the border, according to Iranian state-affiliated media.

On Thursday, Tasnim News Agency, known for its close affiliation with Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that some Arab fighters from Iraq’s western Anbar province—aligned with pro-government militias in Syria—had joined the clashes in the Druze-majority southern province of Suwayda. The report stated that these fighters entered Syria after local Syrian militias affiliated with the national army suffered setbacks.

According to Tasnim, “a large number of tribal militia members from Anbar moved to Suwayda with light and medium weaponry to support Syrian government-aligned forces after Druze fighters pushed back the latter.”

Raad Suleiman, a tribal leader from Anbar, was quoted as saying, “The Arab forces of Anbar cannot remain silent in the face of the Druze militias’ transgressions in Syria. Our young fighters are ready to defend Arab and tribal honor.”

Meanwhile, Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) units have reportedly been deployed along sections of the Iraq-Syria border to prevent more tribal fighters from joining the Syrian conflict, highlighting efforts to control the flow of arms and personnel between the two countries.

Despite these developments, Iraqi officials in Baghdad have consistently maintained that the Iraq-Syria border is under full control of the Iraqi Army and have denied the existence of any security breaches or unauthorized militant movement across the border.

However, observers suggest that future collaboration between Iraqi militias and pro-government forces in Syria could continue, particularly in opposition to Druze factions.