Daijiworld Media Network - Baghdad
Baghdad, Sep 12: Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali al-Zaidi on Saturday dismissed the Maysan Operations Commander after authorities confirmed that attacks targeting Saudi Arabia had been launched from a site in Maysan province in southern Iraq.
Al-Zaidi also ordered an investigation into the Maysan Operations Command by forming a special investigative council, Sabah al-Numan, spokesman for the commander-in-chief of the Iraqi forces, said in a statement.
The action came after the Iraqi government on Friday night condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia and rejected “any aggression that threatens the Kingdom’s security and stability,” Xinhua News Agency reported.
Al-Numan said the Iraqi government appreciated Saudi Arabia’s response to Baghdad’s efforts to contain the situation.
“The state will not tolerate any activity that endangers Iraq or its relations with brotherly and friendly countries,” he said.
Iraq also reaffirmed that its territory and airspace would “not be used as a launching point for attacks against any country”, stressing that its policy was based on respect for the sovereignty of states.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry said on Friday that several drones launched from Iraq had attacked its East-West Pipeline, causing injuries and damage.
While condemning the attacks, the ministry said Saudi Arabia had refrained from responding at this stage at the request of the Iraqi prime minister.
Saudi Arabia has invested heavily in the East-West Pipeline, which transports crude oil from its eastern oil fields to the Red Sea port of Yanbu, allowing it to bypass the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.
In July, US and Saudi forces carried out precision airstrikes against Iran-aligned groups in eastern Iraq after more than 30 drone attacks targeted American troops and Saudi energy infrastructure, according to the US Central Command (CENTCOM).
US and Saudi fighter aircraft struck several logistics and weapons sites allegedly used by the groups, CENTCOM said, describing the operation as a response to aerial attacks carried out over the preceding 72 hours under the direction of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
“The unwarranted attacks against US forces were not successful,” CENTCOM said.