Iraq Says It Thwarted Infiltration on Syria Border

Iraq's interior ministry said on Monday its forces had fended off "smugglers and infiltrators" trying to cross the border from Syria.

"Border guards were able to fend off groups of smugglers and infiltrators who were trying to cross the border from Syria into Iraq," a statement on the ministry's website said, without specifying when this occurred.

The guards forced the groups to retreat into Syria, the statement said, adding that the incidents took place in areas of Nineveh province.

A statement released on Saturday by the Iraqi premier's office said Iraq is taking measures to secure its border with Syria against weapons smuggling and the unauthorized movement of people.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has been carrying out a bloody crackdown on an uprising against his rule, in which activists say more than 6,000 people have been killed since March 2011.

While there are still regular civilian protests that turn deadly in Syria, the focus has now also shifted to armed conflict with regime forces.

Iraq's interior minister said in an interview with Agence France Presse that jihadists were moving from Iraq to Syria and arms are also being smuggled across the border to opponents of Assad's regime.