Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi and Saudi security officials discussed tighter border controls and expanded intelligence sharing during a high-level meeting in Baghdad on Thursday, the Iraqi Security Media Cell (SMC) said.

The meeting at the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces brought together a senior Saudi security and military delegation and Iraqi officials, including Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, director of the Commander-in-Chief’s Office, the head of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service, and senior security and intelligence officials.

“This meeting builds on previous talks and consultations held in Riyadh,” SMC said.

An Iraqi security delegation traveled to Riyadh on Aug. 13, less than a week after Saudi General Intelligence chief Khalid bin Ali Al-Humaidan met Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi in Baghdad, where the two sides agreed to continue security coordination and intelligence sharing, and Al-Zaidi stressed that Iraq would not allow its territory to be used for attacks against other countries.

On July 27, Saudi Arabia said it intercepted drones launched from Iraqi territory toward oil facilities. Two days later, US and Saudi fighter jets carried out strikes in Iraq that CENTCOM said targeted weapons depots and logistical sites belonging to Iran-aligned factions. The Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), a state-linked paramilitary umbrella, said the strikes hit its headquarters in six provinces, killing at least 20 members and wounding 32.

Read more: Iraq under pressure as neighbors threaten to strike factions