ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - As the Syrian army loses ground to rebels, nearly 2,000 regime soldiers have sought refuge in Iraq, a spokesperson for the Iraqi government told Rudaw on Saturday.
“Today, approximately 2,000 soldiers from the Syrian army sought refuge within Iraq’s borders and entered Iraq with our permission,” said Basim al-Awadi.
“All of them are Syrian and have entered onto Iraqi soil with their equipment in agreement with the Syrian government,” he added.
Syria’s civil war dramatically reignited late last month when a coalition of rebels led by the Islamist Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a blistering offensive against the Syrian army. They quickly took control of the northern city of Aleppo, the largest in the country, and then advanced to capture the strategic central province of Hama. They also took control of Daraa city late on Friday and are reportedly advancing towards the capital Damascus.
Iraq has closed borders with Syria, only allowing its nationals to cross.
The Syrian presidency on Saturday denied that President Bashar al-Assad had left Damascus as rebels said they were advancing towards the capital.
