SULAIMANI (ESTA) — Iraqi security forces arrested two more Syrian nationals who were attempting to cross into Iraq from Syria, authorities said on Tuesday.
The Iraqi forces set up a “tight ambush” near the village of Gilbarat in Rabia district on the Iraqi border with Syria, security media cell said in a statement.
They were monitored by the forces that secure the border with Syria, the statement read.
On Sunday, a group of 18 Syrian nationals including women and children were arrested in Sinjar district after they crossed the border from Syria, the Iraqi military said.
In May, six more Syrians were detained as they were attempting to illegally cross into Iraq.
Iraq has tightened security along 600 km border with Syria to curb the movement of Islamic State (ISIS) militants, drug smuggling and other illegal activities.
The Iraqi military has also detained several ISIS suspects who were trying to cross the border with Syria in the past months.
The federal government announced victory over ISIS by the end of 2017 after Iraqi and Kurdish forces backed by U.S.-led Coalition regained control of areas once captured by the militant group.
Despite its defeat, ISIS still poses a threat to the security and stability of the country as there are still sleeper cells in Iraq.
