Iraqi intelligence chief: 9,000 ISIS fighters held in al-Hasakah, their fate worries us

The head of Iraq's National Intelligence Service, Hamid al-Shattari, confirmed that Iraq has sent direct security messages to Syria regarding security threats, especially the presence of ISIS cells in the Syrian Badia.

"The Iraqi and Syrian arenas are interconnected, and what happens in Syria affects Iraq and vice versa," al-Shattari said during his participation in the 7th Baghdad International Dialogue Conference, stressing that Iraq attaches particular importance to fighting ISIS remnants that are still active in areas such as the Homs and Levant Badiya.

"Iraq has been hit hard by the infiltration of suicide bombers and narcotics through the Syrian border, and we seek clear security co-operation with Damascus to curb these threats," he said.

Al-Shattari also revealed that there are about 30,000 displaced people of 60 nationalities in Syrian camps, in addition to 9,000 ISIS members detained in al-Hasakah prisons, including 2,000 Iraqis, wondering how the new Syrian administration will deal with this issue.

Al-Shattari noted that Iraq was not a supporter of Bashar al-Assad's regime, but was one of the most affected by it since 2003 due to the export of suicide bombers and drugs. "Iraq was not keen on the survival of the Assad regime, but feared the alternative, given Iraq's previous experience with chaos after regime change," he said.

Al-Shattari warned of the danger of the leakage of weapons acquired by armed groups after the collapse of the Syrian army in some areas, calling for the promotion of stability in Syria to serve the security of the entire region.

Iraq will continue to send security messages and coordinate with the Syrian leadership to ensure that Syrian territory does not become a new center of threat to the security of Iraq and the region.