ALWAGHT- Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has sounded the alarm over the growing activities of the ISIS Takfiri terrorist group in neighboring Syria, following the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s government late last year.
During the fifth high-level Iraq-Turkey security meeting in Antalya, Iraqi Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein warned of increasing ISIS activity in Syria following the fall of the Assad government in December 2024. He called for a joint five-nation operations room—comprising Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria—to tackle the growing threat.
Reports indicate ISIS is active in over a dozen Syrian regions, with half of their weapons reportedly of US origin. Sources also claim ISIS fighters move freely while US forces take no action. Hussein also voiced Baghdad’s support for Turkey’s efforts to resolve its conflict with the PKK and welcomed recent calls by PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for the group’s dissolution.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan emphasized continued cooperation with Iraq in addressing regional security and counterterrorism. He reaffirmed that the PKK is outlawed in Iraq and stressed the importance of its disbandment. Fidan also expressed hope that the Kurdish YPG’s agreement with Syria’s new administration would lead to stability.
