Enduring cooperation: Iraqi-Syrian coordination against ISIS

The Iraqi army is making unremitting efforts to control the border with Syria and restore coordination that has been absent between the two countries for a long time following successive attacks that have been exploited by ISIS again.

Security cooperation

In the same context, Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi discussed on Thursday, January 20, with the Syrian ambassador to Iraq security cooperation between their two countries, combating terrorism, and strengthening economic and cultural relations.

During Kadhimi's reception in his office today, Syrian Ambassador Sattam Jadaan al-Dandah, the two discussed relations between their countries and a number of issues of common concern.

Joint coordination

The two sides stressed the importance of strengthening joint cooperation between Baghdad and Damascus, emphasizing its development to include many areas, foremost of which is economic, cultural, and security cooperation, as well as joint coordination in the field of combating terrorism, in a manner that enhances the security of the two countries and the stability of the region, said a press statement by the Iraqi’s prime minister’s media office, according to Elaph.

These discussions came days after Iraq announced on January 14 the completion of the implementation of the entire border barrier with Syria and the development of new plans to secure the border barrier between the two countries.

The commander of the 20th Division in the Iraqi Army, Brigadier General Atheer Hamza Jassim, explained that the barrier trench separating the Iraqi-Syrian international borders was completely finished within the sector of the 20th Division measuring three meters deep and three meters high.

Jassim pointed out that drones operate 24 hours a day to secure the borders, in addition to the fact that the Air Force's aviation on the border strip provides the division with detailed and accurate information, in the light of which preemptive operations are carried out.

In the same context, ISIS elements attacked a Kurdish-run prison in Al-Hasakah Governorate in northeastern Syria on Thursday, January 20, which led to the escape of an unknown number of terrorist elements, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based observatory said that “ISIS elements tried to reach the prison gate and detonated the gate with a car bomb, in addition to detonating a fuel tanker, and they clashed with the guards, amid information about the escape of a number of prisoners.”

The director of the observatory, Rami Abdulrahman, told AFP that Ghwaryan prison is among the largest prisons where ISIS militants are being held in northeastern Syria.

The observatory confirmed that the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) sent reinforcements to the prison and imposed a security cordon around the area. It also pointed out that planes of the US-led international coalition flew over the facility and dropped light bombs to support the prison guards, while machine guns bombed separate locations in its vicinity.

Until this news was published, it was not possible to obtain a comment from the coalition, and it is not yet known the number of prisoners who escaped.

The SDF confirmed the occurrence of the rare attack in a statement, saying that there had been an escape attempt from Ghwaryan prison and indicating that clashes had taken place.

The state-backed forces said in a statement on Thursday, January 20, that their forces and the relevant security services were dealing with a new insurgency and an escape attempt carried out by ISIS terrorists detained in Ghwaryan prison in Al-Hasakah in conjunction with the detonation of a car bomb by terrorist organization cells near the Sadkob Foundation for storing and distributing petroleum and close to prison.

The statement added that clashes then took place between the Internal Security Forces with members of ISIS cells who infiltrated from neighboring areas.

The director of the SDF media center, Farhad Shami, told AFP that the situation inside the prison is under control and the clashes are sporadic, with ISIS cells hiding in the neighborhoods surrounding the prison.

ISIS had declared a caliphate in 2014, which included large swathes of Syria and Iraq, where the terrorist organization ruled over millions of residents.

Since the announcement of the elimination of its caliphate in March 2019 and the loss of all its areas of control, the organization has retreated to the Syrian Badia desert, which extends between the governorates of Homs (central) and Deir Ezzor (east) at the border with Iraq, where its fighters are holed up in mountainous areas.