Iraq denies: No temporary residency for former Syrian military leaders

Shafaq News/ Former Syrian military officers were not granted in Iraq, Iraq’s Interior Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Social media platforms have circulated reports claiming that Iraqi authorities granted temporary residency to dozens of officers and commanders of the deposed Syrian regime’s army for humanitarian reasons.

“We categorically deny these reports and emphasize the need to rely solely on official sources for accurate information while avoiding misleading rumors. The Iraqi Interior Ministry has taken no action to grant residency, for any reason, to former Syrian army officers and commanders, dismissing claims to the contrary as unfounded,” Interior Ministry Spokesperson, Brigadier General Muqdad Miri, said in a statement.

Following the fall of the Syrian regime on December 8, 2024, the new administration issued a series of decisions, including the dissolution of all armed opposition factions, as well as the army and security agencies. It has also opened dozens of centers to settle the status of former soldiers following their discharge from service.

Syrian transitional President, Ahmed Al-Sharaa pledged to “bring to justice those responsible for violations committed under the former regime,” declaring, “We will pursue them in our country, and we will also request foreign nations to extradite any suspects.”

Notably, many soldiers and officers of the former Syrian army reportedly crossed into Iraq through the Al-Qaim border crossing in the country’s west after withdrawing in the face of advancing armed factions that later toppled the Syrian regime. Many senior leaders and commanders have since disappeared, and their fate remains unknown. While some managed to flee the country, others went into hiding in their hometowns.