Iraq builds border wall with Syria
Iraqi border guard forces stand guard at the newly-built border wall between Iraq and Syria. Photo: Aletihad News
Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) – In an effort to stop smuggling and fight ISIS, the Iraqi Minister of Interior, Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, declared on Sunday that the concrete wall between the two countries has been completed.
The Iraqi border guard forces command held a celebration for the completion of the concrete wall on the border between Iraq and Syria, aiming to enhance border security in the area between the two countries, according to the Iraqi News Agency (INA).
The Iraqi Interior Minister commended the efforts of the border guard forces, as they represent the first line of defense for Iraq’s borders.
According to security sources, the construction of this wall is part of a series of large security fortifications conducted by the Ministry of Interior to enhance border security.
The efforts are contributing to controlling the security of the Iraqi-Syrian border, preventing smuggling operations, and combating ISIS terrorists.
Iraq announced in late 2017 the liberation of all its territories from the grip of ISIS, but the authorities are constantly launching security operations to pursue remnants of the terrorist group that carry out attacks from time to time in the country.
Last August, UN experts said in a report that the ISIS group still commands between 5,000 and 7,000 members across its former strongholds in Syria and Iraq, according to the AP.
The report mentioned that during the first half of 2023, the threat posed by ISIS remained mostly high in conflict zones and low in non-conflict areas.
The report that is directed to the UN Security Council said that the overall situation is dynamic, and despite significant losses in the group’s leadership and reduced activity in Syria and Iraq, the risk of its resurgence remains.
The Iraqi security forces waged battles in several Iraqi governorates, including Nineveh, Kirkuk, Diyala, Salah Al-Din, Anbar, and the outskirts of Baghdad, to eliminate the remaining members of the ISIS group following the elimination of the terrorist group, which occupied large areas in Iraq and Syria for years.