Polisario mercenaries fled to Lebanon after collapse of Assad regime, others detained by new Syrian authorities

Hundreds of the Algeria-backed Polisario militias have fled to Lebanon following the collapse of the brutal Assad regime, while several other members of the Polisario are now detained by the new Syrian security forces, according to the findings of an investigative report launched by Dutch journalist Rena Netjes.

Titled: “The Polisario in Syria: How Foreign Fighters Complicate Transitional Justice”, the bombshell report confirms the involvement and direct participation of the Algerian junta and its Polisario thugs in Assad bloody and merciless crackdown on Syrian people and pro-democracy rebels.

Iran has long supported a wide range of armed groups to destabilize nations and advance its interests—particularly in Syria. Militant groups backed by Tehran include Lebanese Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, multiple Iraqi armed groups, the Afghan Fatemeyyoun and Pakistani Zainabiyyoun militias, and the Polisario front, says the report.

Today’s Syria, attempting to transition from nearly 14 years of war, faces a daunting task in addressing remaining fighters from these groups as it manoeuvres transitional justice efforts.

Iran’s long-term strategic aim in Syria was to create a land bridge linking it to the Mediterranean. The 2011 conflict offered Tehran an opportunity. Through a network of routes and alliances, Tehran supported the Assad regime by strengthening its influence in Syria through these groups and by enhancing its ability to supply Hezbollah.

Since the war ended, more clarity surrounding these Iran-backed groups has emerged. Recent reports, including an April “Washington Post” story citing regional and European officials, confirmed the recruitment and training of Polisario fighters by Iranian regime.

In May, “Deutsche Welle” Arabic showcased rare images of Polisario fighters in Syria. The report included a document discovered at the headquarters of the Syrian intelligence services, confirming the presence of hundreds of Polisario soldiers in the country at an early stage of the Syrian opposition offensives.

In 2018, Rabat severed diplomatic ties with Teheran over the military support provided by Iran and its Hezbollah proxy to Polisario separatists.

Iran has been designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism by the USA in 1984. Hezbollah is also labelled terrorist organization. Teheran’s use of proxy groups has fuelled conflicts, and posed a serious challenge to global peace and security.

After the fall of Assad regime, Iraq handed fugitive Syrian generals and fighters over to new authorities in. Military expert Mohamed Yaseen, a former member of the Syrian National Coalition (Etilaf), now serving as a member of the transitional authority’s Higher Election Committee, confirmed their repatriation to stand.

“The Syrian Ba’athist regime of Hafez and Bashar al-Assad has always supported separatist groups to exert pressure on states. They supported the PKK against Turkey, the Houthis against Saudi Arabia, Haftar’s forces against the government in Tripoli and the Polisario Front against Morocco,” says Mr. Wael Olwan, Manager of the Research Department at Jusoor Studies in Damascus.

In February, Algerian Foreign Affairs Minister Ahmed Attaf visited Damascus and requested the release of Algerian military personnel and Algeria-backed Polisario fighters. Syrian Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa declined the request, stressing Algerian military personnel including a General and approximately 500 Algerian soldiers and Polisario militias would be put on trial.

Rena Netjes says the presence of Hezbollah-trained Polisario fighters in Syria, deployed alongside Assad’s forces, represents a foreign intervention, proxy warfare, and war crimes that continue to haunt post-conflict Syria.

In Washington, a bipartisan legislation has been submitted to the U.S. Congress for the designation of the Polisario as a Foreign Terrorist Organisation (FTO).

The “Polisario Front Terrorist Designation Act” will restrict the separatists’ movements abroad, freeze their funds in international banks, confiscate their assets and ban their activities or gatherings.

Any entity or country funding, supporting, or cooperating with the Polisario will face criminal charges and economic sanctions.