Iraq and Iran ink border security pact, aimed at bolstering the shared border and clamping down on the Kurdish rebel movement in Iraq, which Tehran claims to be a threat to its security.
The collaborative security agreement includes coordination in “securing the mutual borders and enhancing the cooperation in various security domains”, according to a statement from the office of the Iraqi Prime Minister.
Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, signed the accord with Qasim al-Araji, Iraq’s National Security Advisor, in the presence of Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed al-Sudani, as per the statement.
An Iraqi security official who was present at the signing stated that under the security deal, Iraq pledged not to allow any armed groups in its Kurdish region to use its territory to launch any border-crossing attacks on Iran.
Last year, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted Iranian Kurdish groups based in northern Iraq, accusing them of instigating protests in Iran, following the death of a Kurdish woman in police custody. This prompted renewed attention to the border region.
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