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Iraq's Iran-backed factions that withdrew from Syria earlier this month ahead of the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad are repositioning farther away from the Syrian border this week following regional and international pressure, °®Âþµº's Arabic language edition on Sunday.

The development marked the first such move by the factions since their return to Iraq, a military official from the Anbar Operations Command told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

These factions, which were originally positioned in the border towns of Al-Qaim, Hasiba al-Gharbiya, and Al-Rummanah, will now move to ensure a "sufficient distance" from Syrian territory, the official said.

Iraqi military, police, and border guards will take full responsibility for border security, the official added, noting that the situation was stable with no reported breaches or smuggling incidents over the past three weeks.

The source said that Baghdad was under pressure to remove the militant fighters from the Syrian border, and to show support to the current transitional phase in the country.

Ahmed al-Hamdani, an expert in Iraq's security and political affairs, told the outlet that Iraq had faced demands to avoid destabilising Syria during its transitional period.

Hamdani noted that the demand had come from the US and other Western nations as well as Arab and Gulf countries and Turkey - which seeks to prevent any Iraqi involvement in Syria.

The redeployment of the factions was a sign of Iraq's "goodwill" towards the new Syrian interim government.

Abdul-Aziz al-Mohammadawi, chief of staff of the Shia-dominated paramilitary Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), visited the Anbar Operations Command in Al-Qaim to review border security measures, the Iraqi News Agency reported on Sunday.

The outlet carried a statement by the PMF's media office saying that Mohammadawi and his accompanying delegation held a security meeting immediately upon arrival to review preparations for securing the Iraqi-Syrian border.

Mohammadawi, a former commander of the influential Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah, reaffirmed the PMF's commitment to the directives of Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mohammed Shiaa al-Sudani, highlighting the importance of securing borders and addressing potential threats to Iraq's national security.

He emphasised the need for stronger collaboration with the Iraqi army, interior ministry, and border guards, urging military units to remain fully prepared to handle any emergencies along the Syrian border.

Earlier this week, Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri met Ahmed Al-Sharaa, the head of Syria's new administration, to address border security issues.

The withdrawal of Iraqi factions from Syria on 7 December, just hours before Assad's regime collapsed, included hundreds of fighters - among them Iranian and Afghan nationals - who passed through Iraq en route to their home countries.

The most prominent factions stationed along the Syrian border include Kataeb Hezbollah, Al-Nujaba Movement, Kataeb Sayyid al-Shuhada, and Ansar Allah al-Awfiya - all of which have supported the Syrian regime over the past 13 years.

According to Al-Araby al-Jadeed, these factions have been present on the Iraqi-Syrian border for several weeks.