Hashd deploys 20,000 fighters to fortify Iraq-Syria border

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iran-backed Hashd al-Shaabi paramilitias announced on Tuesday it has deployed 20,000 fighters to Iraq’s border with Syria following recent gains by ISIS in the area.

“20,000 Hashd al-Shaabi fighters have been deployed to the Iraq-Syria border to provide border security after some Syrian villages fell to ISIS,” read the statement, reported by the All Iraq News agency (AIN).

The US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) is leading an ongoing offensive to drive ISIS remnants out of their last holdout in Hajin.

Hajin is located on Iraq-Syria border, where Iraqi forces and the SDF are coordinating.

Taking advantage of recent sandstorms and bad weather, ISIS launched a counterattack this week, killing at least 14 SDF fighters. There were also reports of several villages falling to the group – reports denied by the predominantly Kurdish SDF.

Ahmed Nasrullah, deputy head of Hashd forces in western Anbar province, said on Wednesday its forces have killed two ISIS commanders following “artillery shelling on the Iraq-Syria border,” according to a statement on its official website.

The two commanders had previously carried out attacks on the SDF, he added.

Yahya Rasul, spokesperson for Iraqi Joint Operation, told Iraqi Alghad Press on Tuesday that Hashd and the Iraqi Army are protecting the border and “have been carrying out constant fortification work, such as trenches, observation towers, earth-defenses, and cameras.”

He also said their forces have recently conducted attacks inside Syrian territory, including Hajin.