| Highlights from yesterday |
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Iran fires missiles, drones at Kurdish positions in Iraq’s Erbil: Media report
A Peshmerga commander has told the Kurdish news platform Rudaw that Iran fired several missiles and drones at locations in Erbil province’s Alana Valley on Wednesday, targeting fighters from the Komala Party and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).
There were no casualties, according to the Rudaw report.
Peshmerga are Kurdish forces. The Komala Party and the KDPI are based in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq, which borders Iran.
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Four drones crash in Iraq’s Erbil province following Iranian strikes
Previously, the Kurdish Rudaw news platform reported that Iran fired several missiles and drones at Kurdish locations in the Iraqi province of Erbil.
Rudaw now reports that four drones crashed early on Wednesday morning across the districts of Soran, Khalifan, and Harir in Erbil province.
According to the outlet, two drones fell near a village in Khalifan, one struck a house in Soran, and another crashed on Mount Bani Harir, triggering a fire in the surrounding grass.
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IRGC’s Quds Force chief visits Iraq to discuss disarmament plan: Source
An Iraqi source from within the leading Coordination Framework, an umbrella for Shia Iraqi parties, has told Al Jazeera that the commander of the Quds Force in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Esmail Qaani, made an unannounced visit to Baghdad earlier this week.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Qaani held behind-the-scenes meetings with Iraqi political and security leaders, as well as commanders of Shia paramilitaries, on Monday to discuss the Iraqi government’s plan to disarm the groups and bring weapons under state control.
“Tehran sent a message via Qaani … no handing over of weapons of the factions at the present time,” the source said, adding that Iran estimates that a new round of war could break out.
“The Iranian message stressed on finding a political compromise instead of sliding into confrontation between the government and the armed factions that refuse to hand over their weapons,” the source said, adding that Iraqi political parties oppose the use of force to implement the government’s plan.
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Iraq to send high-level security delegation to Saudi Arabia
Iraq plans to send a high-level security delegation to Saudi Arabia on Thursday to discuss “a number of security files and common issues”.
According to Iraq’s state news agency, the delegation will include the director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the head of the Intelligence Service, the commander of the Air Defence Command and the head of the Counter-Terrorism Service.
The delegation is set to discuss recent attacks on Saudi Arabia, as well as security cooperation between the two countries.
The visit comes days after Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi met Saudi intelligence chief Khalid al-Humaidan to discuss regional security, with al-Zaidi saying Iraq would not allow its territory to be used to launch attacks against other countries.
Last month, Saudi Arabia alleged that an attack on its energy infrastructure by Iran-aligned actors originated from Iraqi territory. The US and Saudi Arabia subsequently carried out joint strikes on targets in Iraq.
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Iraq pledges no foreign military presence or weapons outside state control by October
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Faleh al-Zaidi has pledged that the country will be free of any foreign military presence on its soil and that weapons will be solely under state control by October 1.
During a meeting with US Central Command Commander Charles Brad Cooper, al-Zaidi “affirmed the commitment to the agreed-upon timelines”, under which the international coalition’s military mission in Iraq and the withdrawal of its forces will be completed by September 30, according to a statement published by his office.
October 1 will therefore “mark a new day in the history of the Iraqi state”, as the country will be “free of any foreign military presence” and responsible for ensuring its own security and stability, the statement continued.
Al-Zaidi added that weapons will henceforth be held only by state institutions, which will strengthen “the state’s authority and sovereignty, and guarantee security and stability”.
Both al-Zaidi and Cooper “affirmed their complete and final agreement to end the military mission of the international coalition,” as agreed during the Iraqi prime minister’s visit to Washington last month.
Both leaders affirmed that their respective countries would continue to cooperate across various fields, including the economy, development and security.
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