Shafaq News- Najaf

Iraq’s Najaf desert remains secure following the deployment of the 87th Brigade of the Badia Operations Command along the Saudi border, with no security breaches reported, Kazim Al-Ubaiji, head of Al-Shabakah subdistrict, said on Saturday.

Security forces are following a coordinated plan that uses thermal cameras and other surveillance technology to monitor remote areas and track suspicious movements, Al-Ubaiji told Shafaq News.

Al-Shabakah lies along the Saudi border, with surrounding areas extending toward Al-Anbar and Al-Muthanna provinces. Its location makes border surveillance and the protection of remote desert areas a key focus of security operations, he added.

Last August, Iraq established a new military command to secure desert areas along the Saudi border following the withdrawal of Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) units.

Led by Maj. Gen. Emad Al-Maliki, the Badia Operations Command comprises three brigades covering Al-Salman and Busayyah in Al-Muthanna and Al-Shabakah in neighboring Najaf. The troops are also set to receive support from armed aircraft and reconnaissance flights and to secure the road to the Al-Jamima border crossing, which remains under construction.

The reorganization followed Saudi accusations in July that armed factions had launched drones from Iraq against the Kingdom. Joint US-Saudi strikes later targeted PMF positions, killing at least 20 members and wounding 32, according to the PMF, a state-backed umbrella organization comprising predominantly Shiite armed factions.

Read more: Wednesday's US-Saudi attack on Iraq: What Is Known