Click to see the full-size image. ILLUSTRATIVE IMAGE
Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units have deployed large reinforcements near the Syrian-Iraqi border, west of Mosul, the PMU announced via its website on December 8.
According to the released report, the 8th Brigade of the PMU deployed in the Jazira Al-Hadr area after it had received information that large number of terroirsts were preparing attacks on security forces in the border area. The report once again emphasized that the PMU is deployed along the Syrian-Iraqi border in order to prevent ‘infiltration’ of terrorists.
The ISIS threat in fact remains an important factor impacting the security situation in western Iraq. Despite this, some sources linked the PMU action, the group is widely known for its close ties with Iran, with the recent escalation in the Syrian border area of al-Bukamal. During the past week, supposed ‘Iranian targets’ in al-Bukamal (in general, Iranian-backed Iraqi militias deployed there) were repeatedly bombed by ‘unidentified’ (Israeli) warplanes.
Most likely, the PMU leadership expects that this situation may become a pretext for an increase of the ISIS activity in the region. The terrorist group may try to exploit supposed Israeli strikes to carry out attacks on Iraqi targets along the border. So, the PMU is preparing to repel these attacks.
