Iraq forms new Saudi-border command after PMF withdrawal – Shafaq News

Shafaq News- Al-Muthanna

Iraq has formed a new military command to secure
desert areas in Al-Muthanna and Najaf provinces along the Saudi border
following the withdrawal of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) units, a security
source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

Led by Maj. Gen. Emad Al-Maliki, the Badia Operations
Command comprises three brigades covering Al-Salman and Busayyah in Al-Muthanna
and Al-Shabaka in neighboring Najaf, the source said, noting that troops will
be backed by armed aircraft and reconnaissance flights and protect the road to
the Al-Jamima border crossing, which remains under construction. Local security
agencies will fall under the new structure.

The command has already taken over Al-Qarya Al-Asriya
in Al-Salman following the PMF withdrawal.

Read more: Iraq under regional pressure as neighbors threaten to strike Iran-aligned factions

Al-Jamima is being developed as Iraq’s second major
land link with Saudi Arabia, alongside the operational Arar crossing in
western Al-Anbar province. Baghdad allocated 200 billion dinars ($152M) for the
crossing, the Samawah–Jamima road, and related infrastructure.

The reorganization comes after Riyadh accused armed
factions of launching drones from Iraq against the Kingdom in July. Joint
US-Saudi strikes later hit PMF positions, killing at least 20 members and
wounding 32, according to the PMF, a state-backed umbrella of predominantly
Shiite armed factions. Baghdad condemned the strikes as a violation of its
sovereignty and pledged to prevent attacks on neighboring countries from Iraqi
territory.

Security contacts between Baghdad and Riyadh have
since intensified, with officials from Iraq and Saudi Arabia meeting US Central
Command representatives in Riyadh on Thursday to discuss armed factions and
measures to prevent further cross-border attacks.

Read more: Wednesday’s US-Saudi attack on Iraq: What Is Known