Baghdad Sends Team to Saudi Arabia, UAE to Trace Attacks

A senior Iraqi security team will soon travel to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to request intelligence on the trajectory and launch sites of attacks that targeted the two countries, an Iraqi government official said on Thursday, as part of an ongoing investigation. The Iraqi official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the Ministerial Council for National Security, at its latest meeting chaired by Prime Minister and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi, approved the formation of an investigative committee into the attacks, including two teams, one of which will travel to Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The Iraqi government said on Wednesday it would take “all measures against those involved” if it was proven that Iraqi territory had been used as a launchpad for attacks targeting Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It said a special committee had been formed to coordinate with the relevant authorities in both countries and to follow up on the ongoing investigations. The Iraqi official told Asharq Al-Awsat that the investigative team would use evidence and radar maps to track the parties involved. “The investigative committee will submit its final report to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi as soon as it completes its work,” they said. Earlier, Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, said in a statement that the Ministerial Council for National Security had discussed the continuing investigations into the attacks that targeted Saudi Arabia and the UAE. He said a special committee had been formed to contact officials in the two countries, and that the prime minister had ordered that all measures be taken against those involved if it was proven that Iraqi territory had been used as a launchpad for the attacks. Separately, the Coordination Framework alliance said in a statement late on Wednesday that it rejected any attack or aggression targeting neighboring or Arab countries, stressing “the importance of respecting the sovereignty of states and sparing the region further tension.” It also called on security agencies to complete the ongoing investigations and take the necessary measures to protect Iraq’s security and sovereignty. The UAE demanded that the Iraqi government urgently and unconditionally prevent “all hostile acts” emanating from its territory, following a drone attack that targeted the Barakah nuclear power plant. Saudi Arabia condemned the attack on the UAE “in the strongest terms,” saying it categorically rejected attacks that threaten the region’s security and stability. The Saudi Foreign Ministry stressed the Kingdom’s full solidarity with the UAE and its support for all measures taken by Abu Dhabi to preserve its sovereignty, security and territorial integrity. On the security front, Iraq’s Counter Terrorism Service announced the opening of an intelligence coordination center within the Counter Terrorism Forces Command, in a move it said was aimed at strengthening the agency’s intelligence capabilities and unifying efforts among different intelligence units. The Counter Terrorism Service said in a statement that its chief, Staff Lieutenant General Karim al-Tamimi, visited the headquarters of the Counter Terrorism Forces Command and opened the intelligence coordination center. It said the center aimed to strengthen and unify intelligence efforts, increase the intelligence capabilities of the agency’s personnel, and enhance coordination and cooperation among different intelligence units.