Yahya Rasool: The Aleppo scenario resembles the Iraqi scenario in 2014

BAGHDAD — Iraq has intensified security measures along its border with Syria, implementing multi-layered defenses including trenches, barbed wire, fortified surveillance systems, and military reinforcements, according to Yahya Rasool, the spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. In an interview with Al Rabiaa TV, Rasool also warned of similarities between ISIS activity and the events of Aleppo, highlighting ongoing efforts to prevent infiltration and counter threats.

In late November, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an Islamist group, alongside other armed factions, launched a surprise offensive in northwestern Syria, capturing extensive territories across Aleppo, Idlib, and Hama.

Excerpts from Yahya Rasool Abdullah’s interview with Al Rabiaa TV:

We have a trench along the border with Syria, behind the trench we have barbed wire, followed by an earthen berm, and we also have concrete blocks from Al-Qaim towards Rabia and Sinjar to the north. We also have fortified surveillance cameras, thermal cameras, and drones, which represent another effort. The border forces are supported by additional weapons, and behind them, the army is positioned 7 kilometers deep, forming a second line of defense comprising the army and the Popular Mobilization Forces.

Question: Have there been infiltration attempts along the border?

No, but there were previous cases of Syrian families attempting smuggling. We have ambushes, and we apprehended them in the past period.

The Aleppo scenario resembles the Iraqi scenario in 2014. They entered Aleppo, and the oppressed people welcomed them, thinking they were liberators. Later, they began killing the people. Those most affected were our brothers in Sunni areas, experiencing starvation, destruction, the rape of women, and enslavement.

Let us compare videos of what ISIS did in 2014 in the areas they controlled—the same methods and approach. At first, they granted freedoms, allowed youth to gather, and then proceeded with killing, dragging people through the streets, and destruction. Abu Muhammad al-Jolani follows the same origin and ideology.

I know the true name for Abu Muhammad Al-Jolani, but I am not sure about it. I believe he is a Saudi doctor who was imprisoned after 2003, held in Camp Bucca, and deceived the Americans by claiming to be Iraqi at the time.

ISIS is a creation of intelligence agencies aimed at dismantling and destroying Arab states, reducing them to warring mini-states to protect Israel.

The message they sent is nothing but “throwing it in the wind.” Those leading these groups are terrorists.

We provide a report to Al-Sudani every two hours. We have infiltrated these organizations. If they gather in one place or even think of [attacking Iraq], we will not hesitate to target them before they reach the border.

The PMF has not entered Syria.

Question: What about the Iraqi resistance factions present there?

That is their right! Resistance factions have their policies and ideologies, and we do not interfere.

F-16 aircraft do not operate with American approval. The matter is entirely in the hands of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and claims of U.S. approval are incorrect.

The Israeli aircraft that struck Iran came from Saudi Arabia, then through the Gulf, and struck near Iraqi airspace towards Iran. The Iranian side did not detect these aircraft either.