Iraq investigates attacks on Syrian workers

The Iraqi government announced on Wednesday that it was opening an investigation into the recent attacks on Syrian workers in the country.

Syrians in Iraq have reportedly been subjected to attacks by local armed groups over the past few days for their alleged support of Syrian interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa and his rebel group-turned-ruling party, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.

Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani called the attacks a “shameful act of violence”.

"The law will be fully enforced against anyone involved in these attacks," he said in a statement.

A Shia group calling itself the "Ya Ali Popular Formations" released a video showing its members going after a number of Syrian workers in Iraq and beating them.

The video shows group members interrogate a Syrian man before slapping him multiple time and throwing a wooden board at him.

A statement attributed to the new group has also been circulating across Telegram and other social media networks, in which they link their recent actions to the recent violence in coastal Syria, which saw Syrian Alawis targeted in deadly attacks amidst clashes between Assad loyalists and current government forces.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that in just a few days, at least 803 extrajudicial killings were committed by both sides. Many Alawis have fled to Lebanon in the wake of the attacks.

Alawis are a 10th century offshoot of Shia Islam and still share many affinities with the sect.

"For months we have been monitoring accounts of Syrians working inside Iraq that glorify Jolani and his rule," the group’s statement read, using al-Sharaa’s former nom de guerre.

"We turned a blind eye because it was a political issue, but since the beginning of the massacre, these groups on social media have turned into dens of espionage and gloating over our Alawi brothers and provoking the Iraqi street, which is majority Shia."

The group said that as a result it has decided to "pursue all Syrians who support Jolani and expel them from the country".

"Deleting your posts and incitements will be of no use, as we have a comprehensive database and have been monitoring you for months," they added.

Iraqi forces have also arrested at least 13 Syrians accused of "promoting terrorist groups" and supporting the mass killing in Syria in recent days, two interior ministry officials told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Responding to these acts, Syria’s foreign ministry released a statement condemning the attacks and called on the Iraqi government to act.

"The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns what Syrians are being subjected to in Iraq, as these acts constitute a violation of human rights and international law," the ministry's statement read.

"We affirm our full support for our people, and we call on the esteemed Iraqi government to hold accountable the perpetrators of these crimes and take all necessary measures to ensure the safety and security of Syrians residing in Iraq."