Defense minister warns Iraqi disarmament deadline cannot be extended
Iraq: Baghdad fully committed to implementing security pact
The Iranian defense minister has emphasized that the deadline for the security deal with Iraq will not be extended, as an Iraqi official stressed that Baghdad is fully committed to implementing the agreement with Tehran.
In an interview with Iran newspaper, Mohammadreza Ashtiani said that his country “will allow no extension; it will act according to the agreement it made.”
Iran has set a deadline of September 19 for the Iraqi-Kurdish authorities to take action against secessionist anti-Iranian groups stationed in northern Iraq along the common border. The agreement was made for disarmament and expulsion of terrorists from the Kurdistan Region in northern Iraq.
However, Ashtiani said, “Some actions have been taken, and we will evaluate them at the 90th minute, and decide based on that.” This came as an informed source told Tasnim news agency on Friday that secessionist anti-Iranian groups in northern Iraq have agreed to lay down their arms and leave the areas along the common border between Iran and the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has practically started the activities to draw the opposition parties away from the Iranian border.
Iraq in full control of its borders
Also on Sunday, the spokesman for Iraq’s Joint Operations Command said that government forces have begun to gain full control over all border points with neighboring Iran, stressing Baghdad is fully committed to implementing the security agreement with Tehran, Press TV reported.
“Iraqi government forces have begun to establish control over all border points with Iran, and apply Iraq’s laws and sovereignty there,” Major General Tahsin al-Khafaji said in an interview published on Sunday. “The step is meant to prevent the use of Iraqi soil to launch an attack on neighboring states, as emphasized in the Iraqi Constitution,” he added.
“Iraqi forces have the military capabilities to control the common border strip between Iraq and Iran,” he said. “The central government in Baghdad and the KRG coordinate at high levels in this regard.”
Khafaji underscored that Iraq is fully committed to implementing the security agreement with Iran because the pact is in the interest of Iraq’s national security. Last Monday, President of Kurdistan Region Nechervan Barzani said Erbil adheres to the Iran-Iraq security agreement. In March, the two countries signed a security agreement that includes coordination in protecting the border between the two countries in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad.