Syria thanks Iraq for role in containing Latakia wildfires

Iraqi Civil Defense personnel
Iraqi Civil Defense personnel

By Abdulsalam Khoja

DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – A delegation from Syria’s Ministry of Emergency and Disaster Management traveled to Baghdad on Saturday to express gratitude for Iraq’s contribution in extinguishing wildfires that devastated large areas of Syria’s coastal region.

Yassin Sharif al-Hajimi, Chargé d’Affaires at the Iraqi Embassy in Damascus, told North Press that the delegation was led by Deputy Minister Munir Mustafa and included senior officials from the ministry, civil defense, and the Syrian fire department.

Al-Hajimi said the visit aimed to deliver official thanks from the Syrian government to Iraqi authorities, recognizing the role of Iraq’s Civil Defense in helping suppress the wildfires that swept across Latakia’s countryside and nearby coastal mountains.

The delegation is scheduled to meet with Iraq’s Minister of Interior, Abdul Amir Kamel al-Shammari, along with senior officials from the ministry and Iraq’s Civil Defense Directorate.

According to Iraqi officials, Iraq contributed to the firefighting effort with more than 20 modern water tankers equipped with specialized gear, in addition to 100 officers and firefighters trained in combating large-scale blazes.

The wildfires, which broke out earlier this month in the Latakia countryside near Jabal al-Turkman, burned through over 16,000 hectares of forestland, including 2,200 hectares of farmland, and caused damage in 45 villages, according to Syria’s state-run SANA news agency.

At the same time, it is worth noting that the Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (AANES) had dispatched firefighting vehicles to assist in containing the wildfires in the coastal region. However, the Syrian government did not grant permission for those vehicles to enter the affected areas and take part in the operations.

The joint firefighting response underscored regional cooperation in disaster management, particularly as Syria’s coastal regions continue to struggle with recurring seasonal fires that often devastate agricultural and forested areas.