Assad meets Iraqi PMF chairman in Damascus
DAMASCUS, Syria (North Press) – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad met on Monday chairman of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), Falih al-Fayyadh, in Damascus and discussed cooperation between Syria and Iraq.
Syria’s state-run news agency SANA stated, “Talks during the meeting dealt with strengthening cooperation between Syria and Iraq in the areas of combating terrorism.”
They also dealt with the Syrian-Iraqi coordination regarding the control of the borders and “pursuing extremist organizations and their remnants that seek to threaten the security of the two countries.”
During the meeting, al-Assad said those who support “terrorism” in Syria and Iraq are the same in other places, “regardless of the names of those terrorist organizations,” according to SANA.
The PMF is an Iraqi state-sponsored umbrella organization composed of approximately 67 different armed factions, with around 128,000 militants, mostly of the Shia Muslim community.
Iran endeavors to establish new militias in Northeast Syria, aiming to serve its own interests and destabilize security through mobilizing Arab tribes.