Syria: Polisario militants arrested in Aleppo as Assad’s regime collapses; calls mount to list the separatist group as a terrorist organization

Some 30 militants of the Algeria-backed Polisario front have been reportedly captured by Syrian opposition forces in Aleppo.
The militants were arrested last week after they were abandoned by Syrian regime forces during fighting with the Syrian opposition. According to security sources speaking to multiple news outlets, they were found in a camp in rural Aleppo, where they had been transported by Algeria with Iranian support.

Former Iraqi deputy Omar Abdul Sattar was reported as explaining that the Polisario militants were connected to Iranian military advisors and that they had been under the supervision of Iranian advisor Borhashmi, who was killed. According to Abdul Sattar, they had been undergoing military training before their planned return to Tindouf, wherefrom they intended to carry out operations against Moroccan territories.

A Moroccan security source confirmed to the news outlet Morocco World News that the militants had entered Syria months earlier, using Algerian passports, and that they had earlier received special training under Iranian advisors in Tindouf. Their mission in Syria was meant to support Bashar al-Assad’s regime against opposition forces.

Following the militants’ arrest, the Algerian diplomatic apparatus was set in motion in an attempt to promptly release their protégés. Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf reportedly contacted his Syrian counterpart, and Algeria’s Ambassador to Syria, to downplay the presence of the militants, claiming they were part of the 500 Algerians residing in Aleppo. Algeria also reportedly sought Turkey’s mediation for the militants’ release due to its influence over Syrian opposition groups.

Head of Syria’s National Salvation Front, Fahad Almasri, revealed more details about Iran’s involvement in the presence of the Polisario fighters in Syria, disclosing that Iran’s Revolutionary Guard had sent around 200 Polisario militants to southern Syria, with support from both Algeria and Iran, reported MWN. These forces were stationed at key locations such as the Thaala military airport and the air defense battalion in Sweida. Almasri also stated that Iran had been training Polisario militants at Syrian army bases in rural Daraa for the past three years.

The Polisario Front has long been involved in regional conflicts, including fighting alongside Gaddafi’s forces in Libya in 2011. Morocco severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2018 over Tehran’s support for the Polisario, including providing arms and training through Hezbollah. Algeria has been a key facilitator in this alliance, supporting operational links between the Polisario, Hezbollah, and Iran.

The capture of the Polisario militants in Syria, its documented ties to Iran, and its militant activities have fueled calls for the international community to designate the separatist group as a terrorist organization. Security experts argue that the Polisario Front not only threatens Morocco’s territorial integrity but also destabilizes the broader region. The situation calls for decisive action to eliminate the group and hold its supporters accountable.