Local Iraqi forces keep eye on border as life resumes
As the Syrian Democratic Forces pull out of positions along the Syrian-Iraqi border and civilians return to the nearby town of Qaim, several remaining security forces are coordinating to maintain the peace.
QAIM, Iraq — Though no major attacks have occurred in months in the border town of Qaim, which was retaken from the Islamic State (IS) in early November 2017, there have been several reports of the militant group's vehicles and fighters entering Iraq through the country’s porous western desert border with Syria.
In a Feb. 14 interview at the Husaybeh border crossing, Lt. Col. Aqeel Adnan from the Iraqi Army’s 8th Division told Al-Monitor that some IS fighters are still across the border in Soussa and Hejin, but they are confined to an area of some 60-70 square kilometers (23-27 square miles).
"The [Syrian Defense Forces] are north of the river, and the Syrian regime is south of it," he noted, saying that he was aware of the SDF withdrawing from several border positions to move toward the northwestern parts of the territory that it's held since the start of the Afrin offensive. He denied knowledge of any non-local Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in the town of Qaim or across the border.
Several civilians and members of the security forces confirmed to Al-Monitor that non-local PMUs are still in the city. The Asaib Ahl al-Haq flags that had lined the main bridge into the city for weeks after its liberation from IS are gone, but multiple sources say that various non-local PMU factions are in the town and not just south of it in Akashat and near the phosphate mines.
