Hundreds of Iran-backed Shiite militia fighters from Iraq have reportedly crossed the border into Syria to help dictator Bashar Assad battle a surprise offensive from Islamist insurgents in Aleppo.
Iraqi security officials said at least three hundred of the militia fighters — who nominally work for the Iraqi government as a paramilitary defense force against the Islamic State, but have always been loyal to Tehran — used a dirt road to avoid border guards and slip into Syria on Sunday.
Syrian officials confirmed the arrival of the Iraqi militias, describing them as “fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the front lines in the north.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi also confirmed that “resistance groups” from Iraq have entered Syria to “provide any support needed” to the Assad regime.
Although Syrian and Iranian officials insisted the Syrian military is capable of handling the rebel offensive on its own, events on the ground since last week have told a different story. Without heavy support from Iran-backed militias and Russian airpower, the Syrian army was routed with amazing speed by the swift and surprising insurgent offensive, leaving dozens of towns across three provinces — and Syria’s second city of Aleppo — under rebel control.
Iraqi paramilitary forces went bouncing down that dirt road into Syria within hours of Araghchi meeting with Assad in Damascus on Sunday evening, suggesting that either Assad privately pleaded for help or Tehran decided he was getting help whether he pleaded or not.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is evidently worried about the rebel offensive, which is spearheaded by a brutal al-Qaeda offshoot called Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Sudani and Jordan’s King Abdullah II reportedly agreed that “Syria’s security and stability are closely linked to Iraq’s national security and play a crucial role in regional security” in a telephone conference on Sunday.
Turkey, which invaded Syria years ago and partnered with HTS to fight Kurdish militants it views as a major national security threat, seemed a bit surprised at how successful the insurgency has been.
On Monday, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Turkey has joined three-way talks with Russia and Iran to restore stability in Aleppo.
“Recent developments show once again that Damascus must reconcile with its own people and the legitimate opposition. Turkey is ready to make all the necessary contributions toward this,” Fidan said.
The Associated Press (AP) speculated that Turkey might have prompted the HTS offensive as a ploy to get Assad to resume moribund reconciliation talks with Turkey. Assad has been stubbornly insisting that Turkey must withdraw its forces from Syrian soil before any reconciliation would be possible, but Turkey does not want to withdraw until it feels the Kurdish militant threat has been neutralized.
Fidan said his government will “never, ever allow terrorist organizations that seek to exploit the environment of instability” to succeed. He was primarily referring to Kurdish militants, but the Turkish government is signaling that it might not be happy to see its erstwhile HTS allies taking control of Aleppo.
“It is our greatest wish that Syria’s territorial integrity is preserved and the instability ends with a consensus in line with the legitimate demands of the Syrian people,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday, offering his government’s assistance to “put out the fire” in Syria. Turkish references to “consensus” and the “legitimate demands of the Syrian people” are usually shorthand for Bashar Assad relinquishing power.
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