More than 4,000 Syrian army soldiers have crossed into Iraq since rebel forces seized Damascus and overthrew the government of Bashar Assad, a militia official in western Iraq said Monday. The official with the Anbar Tribal Mobilisation Forces said that the soldiers had turned over their weapons, ammunition and armoured vehicles and would be housed in a camp. He did not say where the camp was located.

Another security official said that the governor of the Syrian province of Hasakeh had come to the border late Sunday night with a convoy of Syrian army soldiers who wanted to cross into Iraq, and they were allowed in via the Qaim crossing.

Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.

The Iraqi government has close ties with Iran and used to be one of Assad’s primary backers but Baghdad has taken a neutral position on the advance of the insurgents and Assad’s downfall.

UN human rights chief says Assad and other officials should face justice: The UN human rights chief said Monday that former President Bashar Assad and other top Syrian officials behind possible war crimes “should be brought to justice”.

Volker Türk also said any transition process in Syria should not be separated from the need for accountability for alleged war crimes that took place in its civil war that began in 2011, leaving hundreds of thousands dead and millions fleeing their homes.

Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, also noted that Syria has not ratified the International Criminal Court statute, but the court in The Hague could have jurisdiction if the “new Syria” decides to ratify it — an allusion to whoever the new leadership of Syria becomes.

Turk said there were “serious grounds to believe” that Assad and others in serious leadership positions in his government may have committed atrocity crimes, “and as a result, yes, they should be brought to justice”.