BAGHDAD: Iraqi Shiite paramilitary groups have deployed to the frontier to back up border guard forces who came under fire from within Syria over the past three days, one of their commanders said on Friday.

There was no immediate word on who opened fire from Syrian territory, but forces arrayed against Daesh in Iraq and Syria expect the group will resort to guerrilla warfare after losing its urban bastions earlier this year.

“After several Iraqi border guard positions came under several attacks by missiles, and backup from security forces was late, the 13th brigade of the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) was deployed and targeted the origins of the launch,” PMF commander for west Anbar, Qassem Mesleh, said in a statement.

“Operations command and the infantry brigade are now present on the Iraqi-Syrian border in border guard positions to repel any attack or movement by the enemy,” Mesleh said.

“This area is not within the PMF’s remit but it is our duty to back up all security forces.”

The PMF is an umbrella grouping of mostly Iran-backed and trained Shiite militias that formally report to Iraq’s prime minister but are separate from the military and police.

Sunnisand Kurds have called on Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi to disarm the PMF, which they say are responsible for widespread abuses against their communities.

An Iraqi military spokesman confirmed the deployment. Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said it was temporary, however, and “very normal” because it was the PMF’s duty to back up government forces.

The PMF were officially made part of the Iraqi security establishment by law and formally answer to Abadi in his capacity as commander-in-chief of the armed forces. Abadi has said the state should have a monopoly on the legitimate use of arms.

Iraqi forces on Dec.9 recaptured the last swathes of territory still under Daesh control along the frontier with Syria and secured the western desert.

It marked the end of the war against the militants, three years after they overran about a third of Iraq’s territory.

Rasool, the military spokesman, denied backup to the border guards had been late. “The primary responsibility for the borders lies with the border guards and the army, however,” said Rasool.

He said Iraqi forces coordinate with both the Syrian army, which is backed by Russia, Iran and Iran-backed Shiite militias, and the US-backed alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias known as the Syrian Democratic Forces opposed to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad.

He said parts of Syria - including many areas on the border with Iraq - were still under Daesh control.

On Friday, Australia announced it will cease their air strike campaign in Iraq and Syria, with the country’s six hornet jets heading home after a three-year mission. The decision follows the Daesh group losing its two main hubs, Mosul in Iraq and Raqqa in Syria.

It is now only clinging to the dregs of a territory that spanned territory the size of Britain three years ago, with Iraq declaring victory in the war this month.

Defence Minister Marise Payne said Canberra had decided to scale back its mission after consultations with coalition allies following more than 2,700 sorties.

“The battlefield success against Daesh means our own Operation OKRA has now reached a natural transition point and our strike aircraft will begin returning home early in the New Year,” she said.

“Since October 2014, our Hornet pilots and support personnel have made a significant contribution in support of the Iraqi Security Forces and I commend all the personnel who have contributed over this period for their dedication, skill and professionalism.”

Based in the Middle East, Australia’s Air Task Group consists of six F/A-18 Hornets, an E-7A Wedgetail Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and a KC-30A Multi-Role Tanker and Transport plane.

Agencies