Iraq reinforces Saudi border security amid militia tensions: What to know

Iraq is reinforcing security along its border with Saudi Arabia as Baghdad seeks to prevent further attacks on the kingdom from Iraqi territory and ease recent tensions with Riyadh. A Saudi security delegation visited Baghdad this week for talks on border security and intelligence sharing.

What happened: The Saudi officials met Thursday with Iraqi army Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir al-Shammari, who heads the office of the commander-in-chief, Iraq’s Security Media Cell said in a statement. The two sides discussed tightening security along their shared border and expanding the exchange of intelligence, the statement said.

Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the meeting, and it was unclear who attended on the Saudi side. 

The visit follows reports that Iraq has deployed additional forces near the Saudi border following the withdrawal of Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) groups from the area. The local news outlet Shafaq News reported earlier this month that Baghdad had sent soldiers and equipment to the newly established Badia Operations Command in Iraq’s western and southern desert region.