BAGHDAD — Iraqi government officials said Thursday evening that Syrian rebels had wrested control of all four border checkpoints between Iraq and Syria, and that additional Iraqi forces were being sent to the border.
One top government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the border crossings, in Anbar and Nineveh Provinces, were closed and that Iraqi border forces had witnessed the executions of several Syrian army soldiers at the hands of the Free Syrian Army rebels and the raising of the rebels’ flag.
The acting minister of interior, Adnan al-Assadi, was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that Iraqi forces had witnessed the executions of 22 Syrian soldiers. Mr. Assadi could not immediately be reached to confirm that account.
In an interview, Saadoun Shallan, the president of the Anbar Provincial Council, said that two battalions of Iraqi army forces had been sent to areas near the border because of the “fragility of the situation.”
A security official in western Anbar Province said that Iraqi special forces were rushed the border to provide extra security, and to help ensure the safety of Iraqis stuck across the border.
The top government official also said that many Iraqis who were trying to flee the violence in Syria were now unable to cross the border back into Iraq. In a statement on state television on Thursday evening, the Iraqi government said it would send airplanes to Damascus to bring Iraqis, many of whom fled the war in Iraq and remain in Syria, back home. This came a day after the Iraqi government urged all Iraqis in Syria to return. On Thursday, according to officials and news reports, more than 1,000 Iraqis crossed the Syrian border into Iraq.
The developments were alarming to Iraq’s leadership, which has long feared that Syria’s violent uprising could destabilize Iraq. In formulating a policy toward Syria, Iraq has sought to remain neutral, although it has supported the peace plan put forward by Kofi Annan, the special envoy from the United Nations and Arab League. The crisis in Syria has split Iraq along sectarian lines, with Sunnis largely supportive of the rebellion, while the Shiite majority has worried that a hostile Sunni regime would take power in Syria should the Assad government fall.
Yasir Ghazi contributed reporting from Baghdad and an employee of The New York Times contributed from Anbar Province
One top government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the border crossings, in Anbar and Nineveh Provinces, were closed and that Iraqi border forces had witnessed the executions of several Syrian army soldiers at the hands of the Free Syrian Army rebels and the raising of the rebels’ flag.
The acting minister of interior, Adnan al-Assadi, was quoted by Agence France-Presse as saying that Iraqi forces had witnessed the executions of 22 Syrian soldiers. Mr. Assadi could not immediately be reached to confirm that account.
In an interview, Saadoun Shallan, the president of the Anbar Provincial Council, said that two battalions of Iraqi army forces had been sent to areas near the border because of the “fragility of the situation.”
A security official in western Anbar Province said that Iraqi special forces were rushed the border to provide extra security, and to help ensure the safety of Iraqis stuck across the border.
The top government official also said that many Iraqis who were trying to flee the violence in Syria were now unable to cross the border back into Iraq. In a statement on state television on Thursday evening, the Iraqi government said it would send airplanes to Damascus to bring Iraqis, many of whom fled the war in Iraq and remain in Syria, back home. This came a day after the Iraqi government urged all Iraqis in Syria to return. On Thursday, according to officials and news reports, more than 1,000 Iraqis crossed the Syrian border into Iraq.
The developments were alarming to Iraq’s leadership, which has long feared that Syria’s violent uprising could destabilize Iraq. In formulating a policy toward Syria, Iraq has sought to remain neutral, although it has supported the peace plan put forward by Kofi Annan, the special envoy from the United Nations and Arab League. The crisis in Syria has split Iraq along sectarian lines, with Sunnis largely supportive of the rebellion, while the Shiite majority has worried that a hostile Sunni regime would take power in Syria should the Assad government fall.
Yasir Ghazi contributed reporting from Baghdad and an employee of The New York Times contributed from Anbar Province