ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) on Thursday condemned the reported assaults on Syrian workers in Iraq, which occurred following the recent violence in Syria’s Alawite-majority western coast.
“Reports circulating of attacks against Syrian workers in Iraq are of grave concern,” UNAMI said in a statement on X, urging “all to abide by the law, exercise wisdom, stay away from hate speech and maintain stability within a secure Iraq that is reconciled with itself and its surrounding.”
A video has been circulating on Iraqi social media since Tuesday, depicting a newly-formed armed group calling itself the ‘Ya Ali Popular Formations’ attacking Syrian nationals in Iraq.
The shadow group alleged that it is pursuing members of the al-Nusra Front (Jabhat al-Nusra) and its supporters in Iraq. The al-Nusra Front is the predecessor of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, which led a coalition of rebel groups that toppled the regime of ousted Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad in early December.
The assault is widely believed to have been motivated by the escalation of violence in Syria’s Alawite-majority western coastal regions, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of around 1,500 people - mostly civilians - according to a Monday report by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
UNAMI on Thursday welcomed “the unequivocal condemnation of such attacks” by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani and commended the Baghdad’s “decision to set up a specialized security team to pursue the perpetrators of such attacks, which infringe on human dignity as well as human rights and violate the applicable Iraqi laws.”
Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command, told Rudaw on Wednesday that “a security team has been formed to arrest those who attack Syrian citizens working in Iraq and commit violent and inappropriate acts against them.”
The team was formed per Sudani’s orders, stated Numan who also serves as a spokesman for the premier. Numan condemned the “criminal” acts “which violate all human and moral values and constitute a blatant infringement on human dignity and rights – regardless of nationality or affiliation.”
The attacks drew the condemnation of Syria’s new leadership. “We condemn the attacks on Syrians in Iraq, as these acts constitute a violation of human rights and international law,” the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement. It called on Baghdad to pursue the perpetrators and hold them accountable.
On Wednesday, Iraqi interior ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri said that security agencies and intelligence departments recorded several incidents by foreign nationals that incited sectarian hate and violence.
“These actions are rejected, and those on Iraqi soil must respect the law and traditions of its people, and anyone who crosses the line will be handed over to the law,” Miri stressed.
Several Syrian refugees in Iraq have also been arrested over the past week for allegedly supporting “extremist organizations.”
