BAGHDAD, Oct. 28 (Xinhua) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdul Mahdi on Sunday confirmed the necessity of taking precautionary measures to secure the borderline with neighboring Syria.
Mahdi made the remarks during a visit to the Joint Operations Command in Baghdad, where he held a meeting with Iraqi military commanders, according to a statement by his office.
During the meeting, he listened to a review of security plans to ensure the Iraqi-Syrian border, as well as security plans for a major Shiite ritual of Arbaeen in the holy Shiite province of Karbala, the statement said.
Mahdi, also the Commander-in-Chief of the Iraqi forces, "emphasizes the importance of continuing precautionary efforts and keep tracking of the terrorist groups to secure the border with Syria," it added.
Earlier, a paramilitary Hashd Shaabi leader said reinforcements had been dispatched to the border with Syria after the Islamic State (IS) militant group seized positions of Syrian Democratic Forces on the Syrian side near the border.
The Iraqi forces, backed by Hashd Shaabi forces, have been deployed in the desert area for months to secure the Iraqi side of the border and prevent infiltration of IS militants from Syria to Iraq.
On Oct. 24, Mahdi was sworn in as the new prime minister of Iraq after the parliament passed 14 out of his 22 cabinet members.
The parliament also approved Mahdi's government program, which included strengthening of internal and external security through law enforcement, anti-terrorism and efforts to fight corruption.
Mahdi is also the temporary acting minister for the security ministries of defense and interior.
