Maysan police chief removed after Saudi attacks

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi on Saturday dismissed Maysan’s police chief and ordered the Iraqi province’s security agency directors transferred and referred for investigation, one day after removing the commander of Maysan Operations Command over attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Sabah Al-Numan, spokesperson for the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, a post held by Al-Zaidi, said the latest measures followed “recent security breaches” in the southern province. An investigation panel had found that Friday's attacks on Saudi oil facilities were launched from a site in Maysan.

The Saudi Foreign Ministry said the Kingdom would refrain from responding for now after Al-Zaidi asked Riyadh to give Baghdad an opportunity to prevent further attacks originating from Iraqi territory.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella of Iran-aligned Iraqi armed factions, denied involvement in the attacks and said it was ready to cooperate with the government investigation. Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Egypt and Jordan also condemned the attacks and expressed solidarity with Saudi Arabia.