“Under the direction of the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces, the national security adviser heads to Sulaimani, heading a security delegation to discuss security protocol procedures between Iraq and Iran,” the office of Iraq's National Security Advisor Qasim al-Araji said in a Facebook post.
Araji and Iran's then-Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani signed a security deal in Baghdad on March 19 in which they agreed to coordinate to protect the shared border.
The agreement is seen as a joint step against Kurdish-Iranian armed groups based in the Kurdistan Region. Iran often targets bases of opposition groups like the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI). Last year, at least 16 people were killed in an Iranian missile and drone attack.
Bafel Talabani, leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) which governs Sulaimani province, said in a statement that he received the Iraqi delegation on Saturday and “discussed the political and security situation in the country as well as expanding security and intelligence cooperation and coordination.”
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
.png&w=3840&q=75)