Iraqi forces from the army, Border Guard Command, Counter-Terrorism Service, and Popular Mobilization Forces have taken advanced military measures to secure the shared frontier with Syria, according to Yasser Watout, a member of Iraq’s Parliamentary Security and Defense Committee.
Watout told the Iraqi platform aljeebal on Tuesday, September 30, that his committee had reviewed “Iraqi media statements” claiming some “terrorist groups” based in Syria intended to infiltrate or launch operations inside Iraq. However, he noted that no official security authority had confirmed such reports.
“Fortifications have been reinforced, surveillance systems and thermal cameras deployed, along with intensified air and reconnaissance patrols, making it extremely difficult for any armed elements to breach the border or threaten internal stability,” he said.
His remarks came in response to a statement by Nouri al-Maliki, head of the State of Law Coalition, on September 27, alleging that “armed gangs” from Syria intended to “storm Iraq.”
Watout added that Iraqi security forces had developed precise plans to secure desert areas along the Syrian border, which were once strongholds of “terrorist” groups. He stressed that Iraq is now stronger and more experienced in combating “terrorism” and will not allow the return of such criminal groups.
Concrete Walls on the Syrian Border
Haider al-Karkhi, director of media at Iraq’s Border Guard Command, confirmed that the construction of concrete walls on the Syrian frontier is being carried out under the supervision of the Border Guard.
His comments came in response to reports by media outlets close to the Autonomous Administration in northeastern Syria, claiming that the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) was building a three-meter-high, 75-centimeter-wide wall on the border with northeastern Syria.
Speaking to the Kurdish outlet Rudaw on Monday, September 29, al-Karkhi stated that the plan is to fortify the entire border triangle between Iraq, Turkey, and Syria with a wall stretching from the Rabia crossing to the Fishkhabour crossing.
He noted full coordination with the KRG government in erecting the wall and in border monitoring operations with Turkey and parts of the Syrian frontier.
On September 15, the Border Guard Command reaffirmed that Iraq’s borders were fully secured, stressing that “99% of Iraq’s frontiers are under surveillance by cameras,” while construction of concrete barriers continues.
It also revealed that trenches are being dug behind the wall along the Syrian border, monitored daily by drones, with each drone able to cover an 80-kilometer radius. Border forces hold the frontline, backed by army units and the Popular Mobilization Forces.
Security Coordination with Syria
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani confirmed that Baghdad coordinates with the new Syrian government, particularly on security matters.
In an interview with the Associated Press published Tuesday, July 29, al-Sudani said both Damascus and Baghdad face a common enemy, the Islamic State (ISIS), which maintains a presence in Syria.
He added that his government had warned Syria’s leadership not to repeat the mistakes made in Iraq after the fall of former President Saddam Hussein, when the resulting security vacuum fueled years of sectarian violence and the rise of extremist armed groups.
Al-Sudani urged the Syrian leadership to pursue “a comprehensive political process that includes all components and sects.”
He also emphasized that Iraq opposes any partition of Syria or foreign presence on its territory, and rejected Israeli incursions in southern Syria.
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