Alwaght- The re-rise of the terrorists in Syria with repeat of the same surprise of 2014 that led to emergence of self-proclaimed ISIS terrorist caliphate these days is a source of concern to the Iraqi government and people in addition to the Syrians.
The Iraqis, who still remember the bitter impacts of the Syrian war and the terrorist incursion into their territory and the consequent dark days, are following with special sensitivity the developments in Aleppo that fell to terrorists on Saturday.
As part of the preemptive arrangements, Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani put the armed forces on highest alert and gave instructions for border security reinforcement. The Iraqi military on Friday deployed three army brigades and two Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) brigades to the border with Syria. The PMF, a voluntary force, was formed in opposition to the ISIS rise in 2014 following a fatwa by Grand Shiite Cleric Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani.
Iraqi Defense Minister Thabit Muhammad al-Abbasi, during a visit to forces stationed on the border with Syria in the far west of Iraq, emphasized the readiness of military and security forces in all formations to protect the country's borders and airspace against any possible danger.
"Our brave army, along with other security forces in all their forms and combinations, is awake day and night to ensure the security of Iraq and its people... We will not allow any terrorist or saboteur to infiltrate the soil of our beloved country," al-Abbasi was quoted by Shafaq News as stating.
Major General Yahya Rasoul, spokesman for the Iraqi Armed Forces, also announced boosting security measures at the borders, adding: “Border Force units are equipped with the latest weapons and equipment, in addition to drones and thermal cameras.”
Speaking to Shafaq News, the senior military official promised that “any individual or terrorist who tries to cross the Iraqi border will face a severe response... Intelligence elements will continue to monitor any terrorist movements.”
Meanwhile, Lieutenant General Muhammad al-Saidi, commander of the Iraqi Border Guard Forces, confirmed on Saturday that Baghdad’s shared borders with Syria are completely secure and there is no way to infiltrate.
Al-Saidi added: “According to what has been reported, the fortifications on the border have been reinforced by Border Force units and a strong support line from the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilization Forces.”
Earlier, Lieutenant General Qais al-Mohammadawy, deputy commander of the Joint Operations Command, had stated: "The borders of Iraq and Syria are very secure in terms of the presence of fortifications such as cement blocks and barbed wire, in addition to technical efforts to install cameras and fly drones."
The coordinated positions of Iraqi military and political officials to reassure Iraqi citizens, especially in the border provinces, came a day after the sudden and large-scale offensive on Syria's Aleppo by Turkish-backed terrorist groups.
On Friday, the Syrian army announced a fierce confrontation of the surprise terrorist offensive after the arrival of reinforcements along with its allied forces. A source in the Syrian security forces told Ria Novosti news agency that "several terrorist groups tried to infiltrate the rear of our forces in western Aleppo and on the M5 Aleppo-Damascus highway, but they were destroyed."
The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has announced that more than 14,000 people, nearly half of whom children, have been displaced as a result of the terrorist attack.
Meanwhile, there is a security concern about influx of displaced Syrians heading to Iraqi borders in the coming days and weeks. In addition to settlement challenges, terrorist elements could cross the border into Iraq and destabilize the country under the guise of refugees.
Resistance groups prepared to check new American-Israeli sedition
In line with the Syrian government's positions, Iraqi resistance factions have also pointed the finger of blame at the US and the Israeli regime for being behind the new terrorist incursion, and are therefore warning the Baghdad government about the return of extremist groups to target civilians and create security risks within Iraq's borders.
On Friday, Al-Nujaba November and Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades accused the Israeli regime of mobilizing “terrorist groups” in Syria and vowed to take action against them.
Abdul Qader Al-Karbalai, military deputy to Nujaba Movement commander, in an X post said: “The return of the threat of Wahhabi terrorist organizations against the innocent and sanctities in Syria at the behest of Zionism, after the failure of Netanyahu’s stinking project on the Lebanese front, means the return of the Islamic resistance to crush these insignificant terrorists, and the battlefield will be the best witness to this; if they return, we will return.”
Abu Alla Al-Wilaee, the secretary-general of Sayyid Al-Shuhada Brigades, in a post on X said: " The incitement of terrorist groups in Syria and the attempt to create sedition in Yemen are being carried out with the direct supervision and support of the Zionist regime, and the aim is to erode the countries of the Axis of Resistance from within because the Zionist regime could not stand against the support fronts."
He added that they should be vigilant to similar efforts to expand the scope of such terrorist developments and use all the means to uproot the sources of their formation.
Referring to the Israeli hands behind Aleppo developments, deputy speaker of the Iraqi parliament Mohsen al-Mandalawi warned about risks of recent moves by terrorists in Syria and the consequences for Iraqi security and stability and called on the government shore up intelligence cooperation with the Syrian side.
"The defeat suffered by the Zionist regime in Lebanon and Gaza and its inability to disrupt the unity of pro-Palestinian fronts led to the reactivation of the terrorist groups' card on the Syrian stage," al-Mandalawi maintained.
Ali al-Fatlawi, leader of the Ansarullah Al-Awfia Movement, said that the new American and Israeli sedition represented by ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq at this time serves a return of chaos, adding: " These plots are in plain sight for all to see, and everyone knows that ISIS is a creation of the Americans, and that this regime is currently trying to mobilize ISIS after its defeat against the Axis of Resistance in Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, and Yemen."
All resistance branches are ready for protection of the country against any danger. We are ready to defeat Zionist terrorism," he continued.
Meanwhile, the noteworthy point is the increase in the Israeli regime's threats against the territorial integrity of Iraq in recent weeks.
With the beginning of the Israeli invasion of Gaza and the heinous crimes that this regime committed against Palestinian civilians, in the absence of sufficient international pressure to check the Israeli war machine, Iraqi resistance groups, led by Iraqi Islamic Resistance, launched drone and missile attack on Israel in solidarity with Gaza in line with other branches of the Resistance camp.
Last week, some Iraqi media reported about a message from Israel to Iraqi government in two letter through Azerbaijan embassy, threatening Baghdad with a military action.
Al-Ain News, citing an anonymous source in the Iraqi government, announced that Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov delivered a message to his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, last week regarding Israel's intention to target the headquarters of groups affiliated with the PMF.
Given these Israeli threats and certainty of Tel Aviv and Washington role in the new security sedition in Syria, various PMF groups said that the best option to counter the threat is to confront it in its origin Syria, announcing their plan to send forces to fight alongside the Syrian army. This heralds new stressful days and new groupings in the region in expectation of a new regional crisis.
