Iraq Deploys More Police Along Syrian Border
At least 500 Iraqi police have been moved near the Syrian border. The recent raid inside Syrian borders by U.S. drones has caused a huge backlash within Syria, including a reduction of Syrian troops along the border to stop smuggling and other cross-border activities.
Iraq now seems to be bearing much of the material costs of the unauthorized U.S. raid inside Syria’s borders–the U.S. is of course paying a diplomatic price for the raid. Some inside the U.S. hope that a new administration will erase much of the diplomatic damage done between the countries.
It is not clear how much Iraq-U.S. relations have been tested by this new agreement. Iraq clearly feels Syria’s troop reduction constitutes a security threat to their country, and U.S.-Syrian relations are having some measurable costs on Iraq. Future security agreements (or amendments thereof) may include discussion of the cost of the decision to cross the border. Or, perhaps the Iraqi government was complicit, feeling that the raid was in their best interest. If it is the latter, look for more tension between Syria and Iraq.
Joshua Bark
