Iraq Secures Border with Syria to Prevent Infiltration of ISIS Militants

FILE: Iraqi soldiers carry weapons during an operation against ISIS militants in the frontline in neighborhood of Intisar, eastern Mosul, Iraq, December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
FILE: Iraqi soldiers carry weapons during an operation against ISIS militants in the frontline in neighborhood of Intisar, eastern Mosul, Iraq, December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
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Iraq Secures Border with Syria to Prevent Infiltration of ISIS Militants

FILE: Iraqi soldiers carry weapons during an operation against ISIS militants in the frontline in neighborhood of Intisar, eastern Mosul, Iraq, December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
FILE: Iraqi soldiers carry weapons during an operation against ISIS militants in the frontline in neighborhood of Intisar, eastern Mosul, Iraq, December 5, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani

Iraq’s government announced taking a series of new measures to prevent the infiltration of ISIS militants through the border with Syria.

Commander of the Border Guards Lieutenant General Hamid al-Husseini announced on Thursday that fortifications have been initiated to secure the borders, including the installation of thermal cameras and control towers.

“More than 150 control towers will be erected in Mount Sinjar,” he noted, stressing the efficiency of the thermal-camera systems.

According to Husseini, the situation is constantly improving.

The 617 kilometer-long border will be under the border guards’ control, he stressed, pointing to their determination to eliminate the threat posed by ISIS remnants.

ISIS militants recently stepped up their attacks in Iraq, prompting the NATO to expand its training mission in the country from 500 to around 4,000 personnel.

Notably, Baghdad and Washington revealed earlier that US military has cut troop levels in Iraq to 2,500 amid continuous calls for foreign troops to leave the country.

Meanwhile, attacks on US targets in Iraq continue despite a number of armed groups announcing a truce and vowing not to attack US interests, including the US Embassy in Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone.

On Thursday, a roadside improvised explosive device targeted a convoy carrying supplies for the US-led coalition forces on an international road in Diwaniyah. No causalities were reported.



Tunisia Detains Prominent Lawyer Souab

Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
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Tunisia Detains Prominent Lawyer Souab

Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi
Members of the honor guard stand at attention during a flag-raising in place of Kasba in Tunis, Tunisia, June 26, 2018. REUTERS/Zoubeir Souissi

Tunisian police on Monday detained Ahmed Souab, a prominent lawyer and fierce critic of the country's president, lawyers told Reuters, raising human rights groups' concerns that a crackdown on dissent will go ahead.

Souab is among the lawyers acting for opposition leaders who received lengthy prison sentences on Saturday on conspiracy charges.

Souab strongly criticized the judge and the trial on Friday, calling it a farce and saying the judiciary had been completely destroyed.

"It seems he was detained because of his critical comments on the trial on Friday," said Samir Dilou, one of Souab's lawyers. Two others lawyers confirmed the detention.

Political parties rejected the rulings, saying they were retaliatory after a trial aimed at cementing President Kais Saied's authoritarian rule.

Rights groups say Saied has had full control over the judiciary since he dissolved parliament in 2021 and began ruling by decree. He dissolved the independent Supreme Judicial Council and sacked dozens of judges in 2022.

"The mass conviction of dissidents...is a disturbing indication of the authorities' willingness to go ahead with its crackdown on peaceful dissent," the human rights group Amnesty International said.

Those convicted included prominent leaders of the Islamist Ennahda party, the main opposition party to Saied.

Ennahda Vice President, Noureddine Bhiri received a 43-year prison sentence, while the court sentenced two senior party officials, Said Ferjani and Sahbi Atig, to ​​13 years each.

The largest sentence was 66 years for businessman Kamel Ltaif, while opposition politician Khyam Turki received a 48-year sentence.