Iraq Adds 83 Kilometers to Border Wall with Syria
Concrete extension
Iraq adds 83 kilometers to border wall with Syria
BAGHDAD — The Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced the extension of the concrete border wall with Syria by an additional 83 kilometers.
In a brief statement on Friday, Interior Ministry spokesperson Brig. Gen. Miqdad Miri said, “Border forces have successfully added 83 kilometers to the concrete wall on the Syrian border through self-efforts, reducing time and financial costs.”
This development follows significant changes in Syria. On Dec. 8, 2024, opposition factions led by Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham entered Damascus after a surprise offensive in western Aleppo’s countryside, resulting in the rapid collapse of Bashar Al-Assad’s regime. HTS has since formed a transitional government, with its leader, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, known by his nom de guerre as Abu Mohammed Al-Jolani, heading the new political administration.
In response to the fall of Assad’s regime, Iraqi authorities heightened security measures. These included an increased deployment of security forces along the border and the closure of border crossings, except for facilitating the return of stranded Iraqi citizens or allowing Syrian officers and soldiers who surrendered to cross into Iraq.
The Iraqi-Syrian border stretches 599 kilometers, spanning the governorates of Anbar, Nineveh, and the Kurdistan Region’s Duhok. Iraq also maintains 211 border posts across this frontier.
As of January 2024, Iraq completed a 400-kilometer section of the wall, aiming to curb the movement of ISIS militants, armed organizations, and drug trafficking networks. This barrier includes three-meter-high concrete segments, trenches measuring three meters in width and depth, barbed wire installations, observation towers, and a robust deployment of border guard units.
In November 2024, the Iraqi Ministry of Interior announced plans to expand the wall by an additional 100 kilometers, focusing on areas north and south of the Euphrates River between the Turaifawi area in western Anbar province and the city of Al-Bukamal in Syria’s Deir Ez-Zur countryside.