Iraq Warns Of Resurgent ISIS Cells All Over Syrian Desert

Via The Cradle

The head of Iraq’s National Intelligence Service, Hamid al-Shatri, stated on Monday that Baghdad sent direct messages to Damascus about security threats posed to Iraq by ISIS cells in the Syrian desert regions.

During a session of the Baghdad Dialogue conference on Monday, Shatri stated that “The recent events in Syria represent a turning point in the region,” expressing his hope that “this will contribute to enhancing stability, despite some concerns related to the presence of armed groups and places of conflict in the region.”

In December, militants from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an ISIS offshoot, took power in Damascus, toppling the government of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad after 14 years of war. HTS leader Ahmad al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani), a former deputy to deceased ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, appointed himself president of Syria last month.

Shatri added that “Iraqi and Syrian arenas are closely interconnected, and what is happening in Syria directly affects Iraq, and vice versa, and Iraq has sent clear security messages to Syria about the threats posed by some extremist groups, as Iraq has been harmed in the past period by sending suicide bombers and narcotics across the border.”

Shatri explained that “Iraq attaches special importance to the issue of fighting the terrorist ISIS gangs, as there are still cells affiliated with these gangs in areas such as the desert of Homs and the Levant.”

He pointed out that there are about 30,000 displaced people in Syrian camps from 60 nationalities, in addition to 9,000 ISIS members detained in prisons under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) in the country’s northeastern Hasakah Governorate.

Among these are 2,000 Iraqis. “We want to know how the new Syrian administration will deal with this file,” Shatri stated. He also expressed his concern about the weapons that were seized by some armed groups, including ISIS, after the fall of Assad’s government.

Shatri stressed that “Iraq continues to send messages and communicate with the Syrian leadership to achieve positive results, and there is interaction with it.”

In recent months, Iraq has been repatriating its citizens held in prisons in Hasakeh, including Al-Hol camp, where many family members of ISIS militants have been detained for years.

On February 11, Qasim al-Araji, Iraq’s National Security advisor, affirmed that “Al-Hol camp must be emptied.” In January, the Iraqi parliament passed a controversial amnesty law that could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners who fought for Al-Qaeda and ISIS between 2004 and 2018.

A copy of the law seen by Reuters shows that those found guilty of terrorism can request a retrial if they allege a confession was extracted under duress.

Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament have been pushing for the law as many of those in prison on such charges are Sunni Muslims. Sunni lawmakers estimate that at least 30,000 Sunni prisoners will have the chance for a retrial, Reuters added.

The amnesty law has been sharply criticized by leaders of Iraq’s Yezidi community, who fear the releases could help spark a new wave of violence against them.

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In 2014, Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani partnered with ISIS to carry out a genocide against the Yezidi religious minority in the Sinjar region of Iraq. Thousands of Yezidi men were massacred, while their women and young girls were taken as sex slaves by the extremist group. Hundreds of thousands were forcibly expelled from their homes and lands in Sinjar. Many continue to live in tents in refugee camps in the Iraqi Kurdistan region 10 years later.

Masoud Barzani and his Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) enjoy close relations with the US, Israel, and Turkey.