Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein has warned about the escalating activities of the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group in neighboring Syria following the downfall of Bashar al-Assad’s government late last year.

He gave the warning during the fifth high-level meeting of the Iraq-Turkey security mechanism held in the southwestern Turkish city of Antalya on Sunday.

Hussein warned of “the escalation of Daesh activities in Syria, calling for the formation of a five-member operations room comprising Iraq, Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria in order to confront the menace.”

The security situation in Syria remains tenuous after militant factions, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled Assad’s government on December 8, 2024.

Iraqi al-Maalomeh news agency, citing informed sources speaking on condition of anonymity, reported earlier this year that Daesh terrorists are active in about a dozen regions in Syria.

The sources continued that approximately half of the weapons used by Daesh terrorists are made in the US, suggesting that the extremists are secretly being armed.

They also asserted that Daesh terrorists are moving freely in large swathes of Syria, and American occupation forces are not taking any action to target them.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hussein stated that Baghdad supports the Turkish government’s initiative to resolve the decades-long conflict with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant group, and welcomes PKK ringleader Abdullah Ocalan’s call for the dissolution of all groups under the PKK umbrella.

For his part, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara and Baghdad are closely following developments in the region, adding that they are reviewing current security issues, notably the fight against terrorism, and possible security-related developments together.

Iraq is also treating the PKK as a terrorist group, he said, stressing that the PKK is officially outlawed in the Arab country.

“Whether it’s (classified as) banned or terrorist, this makes no difference to the treatment it gets. It’s enough for it to be an illegal organization. What matters is the attitude taken,” Fidan noted.

The top Turkish diplomat stated that everyone hopes the PKK will make the decision to dissolve itself as soon as possible.

Everyone also hopes the agreement the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) reached with Syria’s new administration, on ending its activities, is implemented as soon as possible and helps restore stability in Syria, Fidan underlined.