A pro-Iranian militia from Iraq asks Baghdad to send troops to Syria in the face of the jihadist and rebel offensive

Kataib Hezbollah says it “closely analyzes the aggression of criminal groups” and rules out for now sending forces to support Damascus

Dec. 3 (EUROPA PRESS) –

An important pro-Iran militia in Iraq has demanded this Tuesday that the country’s authorities send troops to Syria to support government forces in the face of the offensive launched last week by jihadist and rebel groups against the province of Aleppo, which has caused a withdrawal. partial of the Army and the security forces of important areas.

A spokesperson for Kataib Hezbollah has indicated that “the Iraqi Government must take the initiative and send official forces, within the framework of an agreement with the Syrian Government, given the threat that these groups pose to the security of Iraq and the region.” .

Likewise, he highlighted that the militia “closely analyzes the aggression launched by criminal groups against the Syrian people”, before highlighting that Kataib Hezbollah “has not yet decided” whether to send members of the group “to confront these criminal groups.” in northern and northwestern Syria, according to a statement published on its website.

The group is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a coalition that includes numerous paramilitary groups and pro-Iran militias and that has been integrated into the Iraqi forces for years. The PMF were one of the spearheads of the offensive against the Islamic State in Iraq and in Syria they have supported Bashar al Assad’s forces.

The statement was published after the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior announced on Monday a reinforcement of the border with Syria through the sending of additional units of the Army and security forces, including members of the PMF themselves.

The offensive by rebels and jihadists, led by Hayat Tahrir al Sham (HTS), is the first large-scale offensive since the presidents of Turkey and Russia, Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Vladimir Putin, respectively, agreed on a ceasefire in 2020 after months of fighting. Moscow is one of the Syrian president’s main international supporters and its military intervention in 2015 allowed government forces to repel rebel advances and stabilize the fronts.