Shafaq News- Saladin
Iraq has begun dismantling the East Saladin Operations Command and moving its troops and military equipment to a newly formed Badia Operations Command tasked with securing the country’s desert frontier with Saudi Arabia, security sources told Shafaq News on Monday.
The transfer of troops, vehicles, weapons and logistical supplies began about 48 hours ago, with units moving through Diyala toward Baghdad before heading to their new positions in the desert.
The move is part of a broader reorganization of Iraq’s military presence across several areas, with the newly established Badia Operations Command taking responsibility for large stretches of desert in the south and west of the country.
“The dissolution of the East Saladin Command is expected to bring changes to the areas covered by other security commands in Kirkuk and Saladin,” the sources added, noting that their zones of responsibility will expand to include areas previously overseen by the Command, including Tuz Khurmatu and parts of the Hamrin region.
Shafaq News reported on Saturday that Iraq had established the Badia Operations Command to secure desert areas in Al-Muthanna and Najaf provinces along the Saudi border following the withdrawal of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) units.
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.
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