This has only been reported on dodgy news sites so far so take it with a pinch of salt but there's reports coming in that Iraq has now joined Iran/Russia/etc in backing up the Syrian government:
https://www.almasdarnews.com/articl...r-new-agreement-with-syrian-military-reached/
Correct. They state it's to show they support the eradication of ISIS. Personally I think it's just to show they can deliver some kind of air power. More concerning is what does their ROE and tolerance of CDE look like.