Illustrative image. By the Iraqi Federal Police. Source: Fb.com/Federal.Police.Force.Command
On September 28, the Iraqi military foiled an attempt to smuggle a half a ton of TNT explosives near the border with Syria.
In a statement, the Iraqi Security Media Cell said that the smuggling attempt was thwarted by the Iraqi military’s 15th Division thanks to information provided by the Counter-Terrorism Service.
“A group of people in a vehicle was spotted trying to bring these explosive materials from Syrian territory to Iraqi territory through the village of Naim near the border line,” the statement reads.
According to the Security Media Cell, the explosives, which were packed in 18 bags, were duly handled by the Iraqi military.
The side responsible for the smuggling attempt remains unknown. ISIS, whose cells are known to be very active along the Iraqi-Syrian border, is the main suspect. However, other sides, such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, PKK, may have been behind the attempt.
The Iraqi military and security forces have been struggling to secure the country’s long border with Syria since the 2003 US invasion. The situation worsened after the raise of ISIS in 2014. Back then, one of the terrorist group first decisions was to “demolish” the border line between the two countries.