ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq has deployed a newly established military command near its border with Saudi Arabia to prevent Iraqi territory from being used to launch attacks on neighboring countries, the defense ministry spokesperson told Rudaw, following weeks of tensions between Baghdad and Riyadh over Iran-aligned armed groups.
The Badia Operations Command was established earlier this month to oversee security in the vast desert areas of southern and western Iraq, including territory bordering Saudi Arabia.
“The deployment of this command is to ensure the protection of the country’s southern and western borders and prevent any attempt to target neighboring countries," Yahya Rasool, spokesperson for Iraq’s defense ministry, told Rudaw's Malik Mohammed on Saturday.
According to Rasool, the command will be based in the Nugrat al-Salman area of Muthanna province, deep in the Samawa desert. The area is part of al-Salman district and lies around 80 kilometers from the Saudi border.
The command was formed by an August 9 government order aimed at strengthening security and coordination among Iraqi forces operating in the Muthanna desert and surrounding areas.
Its establishment comes amid heightened tensions after Saudi Arabia and the United States carried out strikes against Iran-aligned militia targets in Iraq on July 29.
Riyadh said the strikes were in response to drone attacks targeting oil facilities in Saudi Arabia's Eastern province and Riyadh region, which it said originated from Iraqi territory and were carried out by Iran-backed militias. Saudi authorities said the drones were intercepted before reaching their targets.
The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said 20 of its members were killed and 32 wounded in the US-Saudi strikes, which hit sites across several Iraqi provinces. Baghdad condemned the attacks as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty and said there was no evidence establishing that the attempted attacks on Saudi Arabia had been launched from Iraqi territory.
The strikes prompted threats of retaliation from Iran-aligned Iraqi armed groups, raising fears that Iraq could be drawn further into regional hostilities.
Iraqi militia groups were reportedly preparing retaliatory attacks against Saudi Arabia in early August but later postponed the plans following mediation by political figures and warnings from Baghdad against using Iraqi territory to attack neighboring states.
The Iraqi government has since taken steps to tighten security along its southern desert frontier. Iraqi officials also pledged during talks with a Saudi delegation earlier this month to prevent the country's territory from being used for attacks against the kingdom.
