The Iraqi Army under orders from Maliki intends to move its main base in the city of Nasiriya to the Rabi’a region near the Kurdish regional borders with Syria, Peyamnir news agency reported. This region is situated only 13 kilometers from the Kurdistan Pishmarga forces’ frontlines.
“At 5 pm on Monday four transport airplanes along with Iraqi border protection units arrived in the Rabi’a region located along the Kurdistan region’s borders with Syria,” this informed source in the Pishmarga Ministry said in an interview.
“Ground Forces Commander Ali Qeidan, Iraqi Army Operations Commander Hassan Qaed and a number of other commanders were in these planes,” he added. “These senior Iraqi commanders held a meeting with the commanders and soldiers of this region in the Rabi’a village for two hours.”
Military units consisting of artillery and armored battalions advanced towards the cities of Jalula in Diyala Province and Rabi’a in Mosul Province under orders issued by Nouri Maliki, al-Sharqiya News reported citing military sources.
Informed sources said Nouri Maliki made a phone call to 5th Division Commander Zia al-Danboos ordering a unit consisting of twenty four 130mm cannons and four platoons of the 111th Artillery Battalion under the command of Colonel Sabah Ashraf to be dispatched to Jalula in Diyala and Rabi’a in Mosul. These sources explained that these artillery and armored battalions, along with the 105th Battalion departed after receiving ammunition from forces stationed in Najaf and advanced 20 kilometers into the Jalula region. Furthermore, the 36th Brigade of the 9th Army Division advanced towards the Rabi’a region on Monday night due to security disorders in the town’s borders.