Shafaq News
Iraq’s western
province of Al-Anbar has moved to the center of the country’s security and
defense strategy following the completion of a full military handover at Ain
al-Asad Air Base, a development Iraqi officials describe as a turning point in
securing the border with Syria and reinforcing national sovereignty.
Caretaker Prime
Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the
armed forces, arrived on Wednesday at Ain al-Asad Air Base as part of a field
tour to review the readiness of forces tasked with protecting Iraq’s western
frontier. The visit came days after Iraqi forces assumed full control of the
base following the withdrawal of US troops, ending the presence of the US-led
Coalition at one of Iraq’s most strategically significant military
installations.
The Iraqi Armed
Forces completed the handover in mid-January under a bilateral agreement signed
between Baghdad and Washington in 2024, within the framework of the Joint
Higher Security Committee, which includes Iraqi, US, and Coalition
representatives. Iraqi units have since finalized their deployment and
repositioning across operational sectors in line with updated defense plans,
according to defense officials.
Read more: From the fight against ISIS to US withdrawal talks
During the
inspection, al-Sudani reviewed alert levels and field movements of deployed
units and observed the takeoff of four Iraqi F-16 fighter jets during a
scheduled drill focused on border surveillance, aerial patrols, and
rapid-response missions. The aircraft are part of Iraq’s F-16 fleet, in service
since 2015, and are regarded by military planners as a core asset for
monitoring vast desert areas and responding quickly to emerging threats.
Located about 10
kilometers from the town of al-Baghdadi, Ain al-Asad is Iraq’s second-largest
air base after Balad. For years, it served as a hub for US and Coalition
operations against ISIS and previously functioned as the headquarters of the US
Army’s 7th Division. Iraqi officials say regaining full control of the base
restores sovereign command over critical air and ground capabilities in western
Iraq.
According to the
Ministry of Defense, Army Chief of Staff General Abdul Amir Rashid Yarallah
oversaw the deployment of Iraqi units across the base, including the 65th
Special Forces Brigade and its subordinate formations, alongside Air Force and
Army Aviation command headquarters. He inspected infrastructure, service
facilities, administrative buildings, and logistics sites to verify operational
readiness and long-term sustainability.
The renewed focus
on Ain al-Asad reflects the broader military weight of Al-Anbar Province,
Iraq’s largest province by area and its primary buffer along the Syrian
frontier. Al-Anbar shares the longest stretch of Iraq’s border with Syria,
extending for approximately 325 kilometers. By comparison, the total length of
the Iraqi-Syrian border ranges between 599 and 610 kilometers, according to
official and geographical data, with about 285 kilometers running through
Nineveh province.
Within Al-Anbar,
the border passes through highly sensitive terrain, beginning at the tripoint
linking Iraq, Syria, and Jordan and extending northeast toward the Al-Qaim
area, where the Euphrates River enters Iraqi territory. This geography has long
made the province a frontline zone for counterterrorism and border defense.
During the rise of
ISIS, Al-Anbar’s vast deserts and direct access to eastern Syria enabled
militants to move fighters, weapons, and supplies across the border, forcing
Iraqi forces to treat western Al-Anbar as a primary theater of operations.
Successive Iraqi governments have repeatedly described the Al-Anbar–Syria
frontier as one of the most sensitive corridors exploited by ISIS at its peak,
prompting sustained Iraqi and Global Coalition campaigns to dismantle
cross-border networks and deny the group freedom of movement.
Read more: From Syrian prisons to Iraqi provinces: How eastern Syria’s shifts could reignite across-border threat
Even after the
territorial defeat of ISIS in 2017, Iraqi security forces have continued
large-scale operations, patrols, and surveillance missions across Al-Anbar’s
border belt to prevent a resurgence. Military assessments cited by Western,
regional, and Iraqi security institutions, including the US Central Command and
Iraq’s Ministry of Defense, say ISIS remnants have sought to exploit gaps
between Iraq and Syria by operating in remote desert zones, making persistent
control of Al-Anbar essential to Iraq’s broader counterterrorism strategy.
Defense Minister
al-Shammari said in a previous statement that this experience has shaped
current defense planning, with the province now treated not as a rear area but
as a permanent forward line in safeguarding Iraq from cross-border threats.
To secure this vast
and exposed frontier, Iraq has invested heavily in physical and technological
defenses. Authorities have constructed concrete walls, dug extensive trenches,
and erected watchtowers along key stretches of the border to ensure control and
prevent infiltration. These measures have recently been reinforced, amid the
developments in Syria, by layered defensive belts that military sources say now
include more than 105 thermal surveillance cameras covering known smuggling
routes and infiltration corridors.
The entire border
strip between Al-Anbar and Syria is secured by Iraqi forces, including the army
and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF). Units from different formations are
deployed across the sector, with continuous coordination and joint planning under
the command of the Iraqi Armed Forces to respond to any security breaches and
maintain the integrity of the frontier.
Addressing concerns
over armed factions affiliated with the Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance in Iraq
monitoring the Al-Anbar borders, Hussein Ali al-Sheihani of the Sadiqoun
Movement —the political wing of Asaib Ahl al-Haq— told Shafaq News that all
forces operating along the frontier are under state authority and the direct
command of the commander-in-chief.
Al-Anbar also hosts
two of the three official land crossings between Iraq and Syria, adding to its
strategic and economic importance. Al-Qaim Border Crossing links the Iraqi town
of Al-Qaim with Albu Kamal in eastern Syria and was reopened to trade and passenger
movement in June 2025 after repeated closures during earlier periods of
instability. The province also includes the Al-Waleed crossing, connecting
Iraq’s Al-Rutba district with Syria’s Al-Tanf area, which lies near the largest
US base in Syria.
Read more: Syria’s calm: An end to threat or a start of a complex security phase for Iraq?
Following the
security escalation inside Syria, including the recent and continued deadly
clashes involving Syrian government forces and the Kurdish-led Syrian
Democratic Forces (SDF), Iraqi security forces have further reinforced their
presence along the border. The developments intensified after the SDF said it
no longer controls Al-Hol camp in Hasakah, near the Iraqi border, which hosts
ISIS members and their families, as well as Al-Shaddadi and Al-Aqtan prisons
where ISIS detainees are held.
Al-Shammari said
Iraqi security units are closely monitoring military developments inside Syria,
including advances by government forces toward areas previously held by the
SDF, some of which include oil facilities and detention sites holding ISIS
militants.
Amid these security
concerns, Iraqi Armed Forces spokesperson Sabah al-Numan confirmed to Shafaq
News that Iraq’s borders with all neighboring countries remain “100 percent
secure.”
Written and edited by Shafaq News staff.
