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Iraqi officials have said that the country has no intention of granting asylum to thousands of Syrian soldiers who entered its territory shortly before the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime. Estimates suggest that around 3,000 former Syrian army personnel, including both soldiers and officers, are currently under Iraqi custody or supervision mainly in the western Anbar province.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to °®Âþµºâ€™s Arabic language edition, , Iraqi sources said the soldiers, who fled as the Assad government was on the brink of collapse, will not be permitted to remain in Iraq as refugees.

"They will remain hosted by Iraq in the coming period until their situation is resolved and their safe return is guaranteed," one source said. "Iraq is committed to ensuring their well-being while they remain on its territory and once they are sent back across the border."

Iraq announced last Saturday that it had received hundreds of Syrian troops who had abandoned their positions as battles intensified, initially planning to return them to Damascus by air. However, the swift downfall of the Assad regime forced the Iraqi government to put repatriation plans on hold.

Sagvan Sindi, theÌýdeputy head of the Security and Defence Committee in the Iraqi parliament, toldÌý°®ÂþµºÌýthat the government was deliberating onÌýhow best to handle the Syrian soldiers’ presence.

"The issue is related to the Iraqi government on how it would deal with the Syrian soldiers," Sindi said.Ìý

TNAÌýsent inquiries to the International Committee of the Red Cross regarding whether the Syrian soldiers could be considered prisoners of war, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

Turki Mohammed, the mayor of Al-Qa’im in western Anbar, where many of the soldiers are currently being held, said Iraqi authorities facilitated the Syrian troops’ entry once they had surrendered their weapons at the border.

"Iraq received nearly 3,000 former Syrian army combatants, including soldiers and officers, over the past few days," he told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.Ìý

"These soldiers have since become the responsibility of the relevant Iraqi military authorities," Mohammed said, noting that they were transferred to a military base in Al-Rutba district. "They are currently secured within an Iraqi military base."

In addition to food and shelter, Iraqi officials say that medical care and other essentials are being provided to the soldiers.

According to Ali Ne’ma, a Iraqi parliament’s Security and Defence Committee member, "Iraq worked to transfer them to a secure area in Anbar province, where they are under protection and receive all daily necessities, including food, water, and healthcare."

Despite rumours and unverified reports that Maher al-Assad, head of the Syrian Army’s elite Fourth Division and younger brother of ousted President Bashar al-Assad, had also fled to Iraq, Sindi described these claims as "baseless."

Neema stressed that Iraq’s role is purely temporary. "We plan to return them to Syria," he said. "At present, due to the tensions there and to ensure their safety, Iraq will continue to host them. Once Syria stabilises, a government is formed, and the army institutions are re-established, they will be sent back in coordination between the two countries via constitutional institutions."

The soldiers and officers have reportedly been moved to the Al-Marsana military airfield in the Area 70 district of Al-Rutba, where full protection and essential provisions are ensured. Their ultimate fate depends on the restoration of stability in Syria and the revival of state institutions capable of receiving them safely.

Ali Abbas, the official spokesperson for Iraq’s Ministry of Migration and Displacement, confirmed that the former Assad regime troops are currently "guests" of the Iraqi army until conditions improve across the border. "The Syrian military personnel are under the care of the Iraqi army at a location near the border," he said on Tuesday. "They will be transferred back once circumstances in Syria have settled."

Meanwhile, Sindi indicated that security measures along the Iraqi-Syrian border remain robust, with no immediate threats detected.

"The situation is stable and under control," he said.