Follow Al Rai
Iraq has closed three border crossings with Iran, officials said Saturday, following a drone attack targeting a pipeline in Saudi Arabia that Riyadh and Baghdad said was launched from Iraqi territory.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, while an alliance of Tehran-backed Iraqi armed factions stressed it was not involved.
The kingdom had previously accused these groups of launching attacks on its territory following the outbreak of war between Iran and the United States in February.
The Iraqi government condemned the drone launches, and Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi announced the dismissal of the operations commander, the police chief, and police forces in Maysan province bordering Iran, after "it was proven that the attacks were launched" from within the province.
An Iraqi security source and a government official confirmed that the authorities had ordered the closure of three crossings, one of them in Maysan province.
The security source explained that the decision comes "within the framework of intelligence efforts to track down the perpetrators, prevent their escape... and obstruct the smuggling of drones through these crossings."
The closed crossings are Shalamcheh in Basra province, Al-Shيب in Maysan, and the Mandali crossing in Diyala province.
The remaining border crossings remain open.
The government's Security Media Cell stated that the authorities "have begun administrative and security reorganization operations at several border crossings."
It confirmed the intensification of "intelligence activities" to identify "breaches and violations that occurred at these crossings," without specifying the intended border points.
Later, the Security Media Cell confirmed that travelers who had been stranded for hours at two of the crossings were allowed to pass.
Saudi Arabia announced on Friday that it had suspended operations on the oil pipeline transporting oil from the Eastern Province to the western coasts, after it was targeted on Thursday by drones originating from Iraq.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry confirmed that at al-Zaidi's request "to give the brotherly government of Iraq the opportunity to take measures to prevent attacks launched from Iraqi territory towards the kingdom and neighboring countries, the kingdom has chosen not to respond at this stage, and to support the efforts of the Iraqi government."
Know more about this story?Send us a tip
Ask about this report — answers stay grounded in its text.
