Afghan and Pakistan militants move to Iraq after withdrawing from Syria

An Iraqi security official in Baghdad told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that the foreign factions found in Iraq were revealed to be Afghan and Pakistani militants who fought alongside the Syrian regime and relocated to Iraq between 7 and 8 December after the fall of the ousted regime.

On Thursday, Iraqi MP Adnan Al-Zurfi cautioned against the presence of foreign armed groups in Iraq, saying that they were listed on a global “terrorism” watchlist, warning of the danger posed by harbouring them. Al-Zurfi, who was tasked with forming the government in 2020, accused the Iraqi authorities of harbouring these factions, adding that their home countries had refused to repatriate them.

Al-Zurfi explained: “These factions are classified as terrorist organisations, and yet the Iraqi government is allowing them to remain. This poses a serious security threat at a time when Iraq is facing multiple challenges,” adding that they are stationed inside official government camps, warning that their presence could compromise Iraq’s national security. He posted on X: “The presence of these factions raises a number of questions regarding the role of the state and the government, both previously and subsequently, in this dangerous file.”

The security official affirmed that the members of these factions do not carry passports or documents, and their presence inside Iraqi territory is a reality imposed by the situation in Syrian territory. He added there is no truth to the claims that the government sponsored or welcomed them, stressing that they are in camps affiliated with the Popular Mobilisation Forces.

A member of the Security and Defence Committee in the Iraqi Parliament, Yasser Watout, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed on Friday that a specialised parliamentary committee will investigate the presence of armed foreign factions inside military headquarters in Ira. He explained that the presence of non-Iraqi factions like these inside Iraq is incorrect and poses a real danger and threat to Iraqi security.

“It may be a new justification by the US or the Zionist entity for targeting Iraq. For this reason, we will investigate the matter, and we will have a position towards it,” Watout told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

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