Iraqi security forces march on the Iraqi side of the Albou Kamal border crossing with Syria, Sept. 30, 2019. (Credit: Moadh al-Dulaimi/AFP)
Faced with the large-scale offensive launched on Nov. 27 by a coalition of rebel forces targeting regime-controlled areas in Syria, hundreds of Iraqi fighters reportedly entered the country overnight between Dec. 1 and 2. Their mission: to bolster the positions of the Damascus regime, backed by Iran and aligned with the ‘axis of resistance.’ According to two Iraqi security sources cited by Reuters, at least 300 fighters from pro-Iranian groups Badr and Harakat al-Nujaba crossed unofficial border points to avoid detection. One source indicated that these reinforcements were deployed to protect the Sayyida Zaynab Shiite shrine near Damascus, often used as a pretext for pro-Iranian fighters’ presence in the country. Read more Kurdish facing threat from rebel advances in Syria? However, the Iraqi fighters are reportedly expected to...
Faced with the large-scale offensive launched on Nov. 27 by a coalition of rebel forces targeting regime-controlled areas in Syria, hundreds of Iraqi fighters reportedly entered the country overnight between Dec. 1 and 2. Their mission: to bolster the positions of the Damascus regime, backed by Iran and aligned with the ‘axis of resistance.’ According to two Iraqi security sources cited by Reuters, at least 300 fighters from pro-Iranian groups Badr and Harakat al-Nujaba crossed unofficial border points to avoid detection. One source indicated that these reinforcements were deployed to protect the Sayyida Zaynab Shiite shrine near Damascus, often used as a pretext for pro-Iranian fighters’ presence in the country. Read more Kurdish facing threat from rebel advances in Syria? However, the Iraqi fighters are reportedly expected...
