Adel Abdul-Mahdi, the prime minister of Iraq ordered the Iraqi army to replace the Iran-backed Hashd Al-Shaabi militia on its border with Saudi Arabia.

The prime minister of Iraq asked the Hashd Al-Shaabi militia to evacuate the border areas with Saudi Arabia and leave their bases for the Iraqi army and the border guards.

Hashd Al-Shaabi Shia militia is supported by the Quds Force, the international arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The prime minister’s order comes a few days after the attack on Saudi Arabian oil facilities. There were initial reports about the attack being launched from Iraqi soil near the border with Iran. The Iraqi government denied the claims and announced on Monday that the US Secretary of State has also confirmed that the attacks against Saudi Arabia did not initiate in Iraq.

A high-ranking source within the Iraqi Defense Ministry says: “It is not clear to what extent these militia groups in those areas will follow the orders, but these groups must obey the decisions of the prime minister and due to the sensitivity of this case, leave those areas to the army.”

He added: “The prime minister has ordered the leader of Hashd Al-Shaabi and the head of the army and the chairman of cooperative operations in Iraq to make the necessary efforts to prevent any operation from Iraqi soil against the neighboring countries.

Adel Abdul-Mahdi said on Wednesday that he is working toward de-escalating the tensions in the region because if there is a war, no country will be safe.