Iraq announced it would begin repatriating Syrian soldiers on Thursday who had fled the rapid offensive that led to the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad.
“Today, Iraqi authorities will start returning Syrian soldiers to their country after coordinating with the relevant Syrian authorities,” said Miqdad Miri, spokesman for Iraq’s Interior Ministry.
Assad fled Syria as an assault led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) approached Damascus. This came more than 13 years after his violent response to pro-democracy protests spiraled into one of the deadliest wars of the 21st century.
The Islamist-led rebels quickly took city after city, facing little resistance, and reached Damascus on December 8.
At the time, an Iraqi security source reported that hundreds of Syrian soldiers who had fled the frontlines were allowed to cross into Iraq through the Al-Qaim border. Some of them were wounded, the source added.
Miri confirmed that the repatriation of the soldiers would occur through the same border crossing.
A senior Iraqi official, speaking anonymously, stated that the repatriation would be carried out “under the supervision of international organizations.”
Syria’s new authorities have called on soldiers and police officers to lay down their arms and register with the government.
Iraqi Deputy Commander of Joint Operations, Lieutenant General Qais al-Mohammadawi, told Iraqi media on Wednesday that the soldiers’ “names, equipment, and weapons have been carefully inventoried.”
