Syria’s self-proclaimed president can be arrested if he visits Baghdad: Iraqi figure
Syria’s self-proclaimed president can be arrested if he visits Baghdad: Iraqi figure
M.U.H
20/04/202527
The leader of Iraq’s Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq anti-terror resistance group has warned that Syria’s self-proclaimed president Abu Mohammed al-Jolani can be arrested upon his arrival in Baghdad due to an active arrest warrant against him.
Qais al-Khazali raised the alarm in a post on his official X account on Saturday as he termed Jolani’s potential visit to Baghdad as “premature” and legally problematic.
While maintaining that strong relations between Iraq and Syria is essential and serves the two countries’ mutual interests, Khazali said the current timing for hosting the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group commander is inappropriate.
“The presence of the current Syrian regime’s president in Iraq is premature, as it may lead to legal repercussions if the law is enforced and he is arrested by security forces, given the existence of an active arrest warrant against him,” the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq chief wrote.
"In accordance with the principle of separation of powers, the decisions of the Iraqi judiciary must be adhered to and respected by all," the Iraqi official added.
Khazali’s warning came days after Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani met with Syria’s self-proclaimed president in Qatar in the presence of Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Iraqi state media described the move as a “quick visit” to address regional instability, particularly in Syria, which was the first direct meeting between Iraqi and Syrian heads of state since the collapse of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad following a sweeping invasion of the country by the foreign-backed HTS militants.
Jolani and Sudani pledged in their Doha meeting on April 18 to safeguard their nations' sovereign rights and autonomous governance while categorically opposing all manifestations of foreign intervention or influence.
Through a joint declaration, the two also agreed to enhance security and intelligence cooperation to address common challenges such as terrorism and transnational threats, while also turning their attention to economic priorities by focusing on revitalizing bilateral trade, facilitating the movement of people and goods across shared borders, and promoting reciprocal investments.
The HTS leader had on April 1 stressed the significance of opening a new chapter in Damascus-Baghdad relations during a telephone conversation with Sudani.
The HTS administration’s foreign minister, Asaad al-Shibani, visited Baghdad in mid-March and held talks with his Iraqi counterpart, Fuad Hussein, expressing Syria's readiness to "reinforce cooperation" with Iraq in combating terrorism.
Jolani’s potential trip to Baghdad will be his first public visit to Iraq, the country where he was once imprisoned for years on charges of belonging to the al-Qaeda terrorist outfit after the 2003 US-led invasion of the Arab country.
The HTS militant group seized control of Damascus on December 8 last year, culminating a swift offensive that had begun in northwestern province of Aleppo just two weeks earlier and ultimately brought an end to Assad’s 24-year rule.
The HTS administration has since been involved in flagrant violations of human rights in Syria, particularly against minorities, namely Syria's Alawite minority, drawing widespread condemnations form the international community.
Over the past two weeks, at least 42 Alawites have been killed, following the massacre of approximately 1,700 members of the community in coastal areas last month.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that these killings, which began escalating on March 7, have shifted from mass executions to individual acts of violence.
