PanOrient News | Polisario's role in Syria highlights Japan past linking it to Al-Qaeda

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Polisario's role in Syria highlights Japan past linking it to Al-Qaeda

Saturday, April 19, 2025

Pan Orient News
By Fadwa Garcia
(Damascus, April 18, 2025) American and Syrian media outlets have reported that fighters from the Polisario Front played a role in the repression and killings carried out by the former Syrian regime, led by the deposed President Bashar al-Assad, in collaboration with Iran. This involvement was a reminder of the classification by the Japanese security authorities, which identified the Polisario Front as a group connected to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. This historical context helps illuminate the current geopolitical dynamics involving the Polisario Front, the former Syrian regime, and Iran.

An investigative report published by the Washington Post, on April 12, which gained considerable attention in the Arab world and beyond, revealed that the new authorities in Damascus have arrested hundreds of Polisario Front militias. These militias were reportedly armed and trained by Iran to conduct large-scale operations that align with the interests of both Iran and Algeria.

The Post reported that it obtained information from regional and European security sources, indicating that hundreds of Polisario fighters received training for armed operations in Syria with the support of Iran. These fighters participated in regional networks aimed at expanding Iranian influence. Among those detained in Syria are an Algerian army General and 500 soldiers from the Algerian military and the Polisario Front. These detainees played a significant role in the activities of the Polisario Front in Syria, and their detention represents a notable development in the region.

The Post report states that "Iran has concentrated on recruiting new proxies and allies to make up for its strategic losses and its regional diminishing influence, which have occurred due to recent events in the area. The Iranians are seeking alternative regions to expand their influence, and they have identified North Africa, specifically the Maghreb, as a key target. This explains Tehran's interest in training fighters from the Polisario Front, who advocate for the establishment of an independent ‘sahrawi republic’ in Western Sahara. These fighters could serve as representatives of the Iranian interests in North Africa, similar to the Iranian-backed militias operating in Syria, Iraq, and Iran."

Algeria consistently offers extensive financial, logistical, and diplomatic support to the Polisario Front in their pursuit of establishing the so-called ‘sahrawi republic’. In contrast, several countries, including France, Spain, and the United States, have voiced their unwavering support for Morocco's initiative regarding the Sahara, which advocating for autonomy as a solution to this conflict. These differing international responses give a clear overview of the situation.
The International Terrorism Index, published by the Japanese Public Security Agency (PSIA), in 2013 and 2014, classified the Polisario Front as having close connections with the terrorist organization of ‘Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’, ‘AQIM’. This historical context is important in understanding the current situation.

Fahed al-Masri, the head of the National Salvation Front in Syria, disclosed in an article in the Hebrew newspaper ‘Yedioth Ahronoth’ that "Hezbollah and pro-Iranian militias are extending their control over the Syrian territory. They are establishing new bases and relocating armed factions under the supervision of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, which sent approximately 200 members of the Polisario Front to southern Syria with the cooperation and support of Algeria and Iran. These members were stationed at the Thala military airport, the air defense battalion in Sweida, and the 90th Brigade, which is located only 20 kilometers from the Golan Heights." Al-Masri further stated that "Iran has been training several members of the Polisario Front in Syrian army positions in the Daraa countryside during the past 3 years.”

According to information revealed by Al-Masry, following indications of the collapse of the Assad regime in Syria, Iran had implemented swift tactical adjustments in the region. This included the evacuation of several Hezbollah positions in southern Syria, near the Golan Heights, which were then replaced by the Popular Mobilization Forces militia. Most of the members of this militia had been naturalized by the Assad regime.

Based on the report by the Washington Post, Badi' al-Hamdani wrote on the newspaper's website, on April 13, 2025, that the new Syrian security forces had arrested hundreds of Polisario fighters in Syria. These fighters were reportedly collaborating with Bashar al-Assad to suppress the Syrian people, and Iran was using them to incite unrest and destabilize the new transitional government. Al-Hamdani asserts that this report confirmed what was previously disclosed by Monte Carlo International Radio. Their correspondent in Damascus, Uday Mansour, revealed last February that "Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa rejected a request from the Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, regarding the release of detainees from the Algerian army and members of the Polisario militias, who were fighting alongside the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad, around Aleppo. Hayat Tahrir al-Sham arrested these individuals during an attack in late November 2024."

The same source mentioned that "President al-Sharaa informed the Algerian Foreign Minister that an Algerian brigadier General and approximately 500 soldiers from the Algerian army and the Polisario Front militias were among the detainees. All of these individuals will face trial alongside the remnants of Assad's forces." Additionally, "President al-Sharaa confirmed that all fighters, both Algerian and Polisario, will be treated according to international laws governing the treatment of prisoners of war."
Additional details regarding the involvement of the Polisario, Algeria, and Iran with the ousted Assad regime were revealed in an article by Mohamed Ould Bouah titled "Polisario Separatist Prisoners Held in Syria Confirm Their Ties with Iran," published on April 15 by the Moroccan website ‘Le360.ma’. The article reported that "Washington Post correspondents traveled to the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, where Polisario fighters had settled alongside hundreds of fighters from the Fatemiyoun Brigade, an Afghan Shiite militia, also deployed by Iran to Syria." According to ‘Le360.ma’, the report asserted that "the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime has helped reveal the extent of the militias that Iran has brought into Syria and supported there."

In his article, Mohamed Ould Bouah cautioned that "the Iranian-Algerian axis is stronger than previously believed, as demonstrated by the controversial visit of Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to Algeria 2 weeks ago". He noted that "the issue of the Algerian mercenaries and the Polisario Front members detained in Syria was discussed during this visit." This was also mentioned in another article on the website titled "Syria Slaps Algeria: Attaf's Visit Fails to Achieve Its Goals and Becomes a Diplomatic Setback."

A report from an American newspaper indicated that the fall of Bashar al-Assad and the rise of new authorities in Syria have disrupted the land bridge that Iran has used for decades to extend its regional influence. This bridge was crucial for arming Lebanese Hezbollah and other allies, providing them with funding and equipment to strengthen their presence in Arab countries, particularly Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq.

Analysts have noted that these developments, along with information from regional and European security sources, have animated discussions regarding the activities of the Polisario Front. This is especially relevant in light of the ongoing accusations linking the Polisario Group to armed organizations in the African Sahel and Sahara region. As a result, there is a growing possibility that the United States may designate the Polisario Front as a "terrorist" group.
A report from The Washington Post highlights increasing pressure within the US Congress, particularly from representatives like Joe Wilson, to classify the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization. This push is based on intelligence reports that link the Polisario Front to activities posing a threat to regional security. With the US administration renewing its support of Morocco's autonomy proposal, diplomats anticipate that the recent revelations about the Polisario's involvement in operations in Syria, under Iranian oversight, will hasten the US decision to designate the Front as a terrorist organization.

A report published by ‘Hespress newspaper’ explained that the activities of the Polisario Front, which receive sponsorship from Iran, are not new. Instead, they are part of a continuing pattern followed by prominent leaders within the Front, who have been involved in organized terrorist groups, as well as in smuggling and illegal cross-border trade operations. The report dismissed the claims made by the Washington Post, describing them as "the tree that hides the forest," asserting that ‘the Polisario Front is engaged in much broader prohibited activities’.

These reports from American media outlets corroborate what Moroccan intelligence had previously stated: that “the Iranian embassy in Algiers has also been involved in arming and training fighters and manufacturing weapons under the supervision of combatants from the Lebanese Hezbollah group”.

The report concludes by stating that the information it contains supports the ongoing Western calls to designate the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization. This is particularly relevant given the evidence of its connections to groups involved in terrorism, including ‘Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb’ and ‘Boko Haram’, as well as its training received from Hezbollah, funded by Iran.
Additionally, the report revealed that leaders of the Polisario Front benefit from questionable funds that finance their real estate and business investments in some Caribbean countries and elsewhere. It raises concerns about the sources of the wealth accumulated by the Polisario leaders, suggesting that it is likely illicit and may include funds derived from Algerian oil revenues or drug production (specifically Captagon) in Syria, whose factories have been recently discovered in Syria by the new Syrian Government.

A recent report has emphasized that following the Arab Spring, the Polisario Front began to forge ties with extremist groups from Iraq and Syria, utilizing the resulting turmoil to expand their influence in the African Sahel and Sahara regions. The report suggests that the United States classifying the Polisario Front as a terrorist organization would be a crucial move, underscoring the significant threat posed by their activities. Additionally, it portrays the Polisario Front not only as a terrorist entity but also as a "cancerous tumor" that hinders development and contributes to the destabilization of North Africa. (Pan Orient News).