Iraq investigating attack on Syrian workers

Iraq announced Wednesday that it was investigating an attack on Syrian workers in the country after a newly formed Iraqi group vowed to avenge the mass killing of Alawite civilians in Syria.

For several days, Syria's Mediterranean coast was engulfed in extreme violence, with mass killings of members of the Alawite minority community, to which ousted president Bashar al-Assad belongs.

In the wake of the massacres, a previously unknown group in Iraq posted a video showing masked men beating two bakery employees. In an earlier statement, the group had condemned Syrians in Iraq "who support crimes against humanity" against Syria's Alawites and warned that they would escalate their attacks.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani denounced the attack on the workers in a statement, calling it a "shameful act of violence" and ordering an investigation.

"The law will be fully enforced against anyone involved in these attacks," he added.

Iraqi forces have in recent days arrested at least 13 Syrians accused of "promoting terrorist groups" and supporting the mass killing in Syria, two interior ministry officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Syria's foreign ministry on Wednesday slammed the violence against its citizens, urging Baghdad in a statement to take "necessary measures to ensure the security of Syrians residing in Iraq".

Supporters of pro-Iran armed groups in Iraq have launched an online campaign against Syrians who they say support the mass killings.

Iraq has kept a cautious distance from Syria since a coalition of opposition forces, led by the Islamist Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled Assad in December. HTS grew out of al-Qaeda in Syria, and engaged with that jihadist group's branch in Iraq.

HTS' leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, now Syria's interim president, has since cut ties with its former extremist roots and has been promoting moderation and inclusivity in his new government. The massacres on Syria's coast were a "set back" in this direction, Sharaa said.