Local sources in Deir ez-Zor reported that a meeting was held between Iraqi and Syrian military delegations in the presence of Iranian security officials in the town of Albu Kamal, eastern Deir ez-Zor.
The meeting came against the backdrop of the sides wanting to establish a joint crossing between the two countries, starting from Albu Kamal on the Syrian border and reaching the al-Qaim crossing on the Iraqi border, which should be opened next month.
The two sides, in Iran’s presence, also agreed to set up joint military points and to deploy customs police and civilian police on the border, with Iranian security forces, due to the importance of its militias’ presence in Syria and Iraq.
Last July, after a US meeting in Albu Kamal to satisfy Arab military members in the Syrian Democratic Forces, reinforcements of militias affiliated with Iran reached Albu Kamal, on the border with Iraq.
The reinforcements included about 200 members of the Imam al-Hajja Brigade, affiliated with the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as dozens of cars loaded with heavy machine guns.
Israeli sources previously reported that Iran had set up a command center in Albu Kamal to carry out attacks on American forces in Syria and targets in Israel.
The Israeli intelligence site Debka quoted Israeli military sources as saying that Albu Kamal, a small Syrian city on the border with Iraq, was under American and Israeli military observation.
According to information on Debka, alongside Iranian and Syrian forces in Albu Kamal there are currently five pro-Iran militias under the command of Lebanon’s Hezbollah. These militias include: Iraqi Hezbollah, the al-Nujabaa Movement, the Afghan Fatimiyoun, and the Pakistani Zeitouniyoun.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
