ERBIL () — Iraqi security forces have found drone launchers near the border with Iran in the southern province of Maysan, security sources told AFP on Saturday, days after an attack on a Saudi oil pipeline that Riyadh and Baghdad said was launched from Iraqi territory.
A security official told AFP that Iraqi forces discovered the drone launchers in the al-Tib area, a remote region near the Iraq-Iran border in Maysan province. A second security official confirmed the same account.
The discovery comes amid heightened scrutiny of Iraqi territory following drone attacks on Saudi Arabia, which Saudi and Iraqi authorities said originated from inside Iraq.
The location of the launchers in al-Tib, close to the Iranian border, could add to questions surrounding the origin and organization of the attacks, although the security sources did not provide details on who operated the launchers or whether they were directly linked to the strikes against Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia's Foreign Ministry said Friday that drones launched from Iraqi territory had struck the kingdom's East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh and Medina regions.
Saudi authorities said the attacks caused injuries and material damage, while the Energy Ministry said operations on the pipeline were temporarily suspended as a precaution as emergency and technical teams assessed the damage.
Riyadh said it had agreed, at the request of Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Faleh al-Zaidi, not to launch an immediate military response, giving Baghdad time to investigate the attacks and take measures to prevent further strikes originating from Iraqi territory.
Saudi Arabia nevertheless said it retained the right to take whatever measures were necessary to protect its territory, citizens and critical infrastructure.
The Iraqi government condemned the attacks and pledged to identify those responsible. Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the commander-in-chief, said the prime minister had ordered an urgent investigation and that legal action would be taken against anyone found to have participated in the attacks.
Al-Numan also reiterated Baghdad's position that Iraqi territory and airspace must not be used as a base for attacks against neighboring countries.
Baghdad Expands Security Accountability in Maysan
Iraqi Prime Minister and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ali Faleh al-Zaidi on Saturday ordered the dismissal of Maysan province's police chief and referred the heads of security agencies in the province for investigation following a series of security breaches.
Al-Numan announced the decisions on Sept. 12, saying Zaidi had also ordered Maysan's security agency chiefs transferred to the Reserve Forces Command.
The officials will face investigations over recent security incidents in the southern Iraqi province, according to al-Numan.
The measures represent a further escalation in Baghdad's response after authorities confirmed that drone attacks targeting Saudi Arabia originated from Iraqi territory.
Earlier Saturday, Zaidi dismissed the commander of Maysan Operations and ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the command after Iraqi authorities said the strikes against Saudi Arabia had been launched from a location inside Maysan.
The latest decision extends the accountability process across the province's wider security establishment as Baghdad faces pressure to prevent Iraqi territory from being used to launch attacks against neighboring countries.
