Baghdad (Diplomat.so) – Iraqi Security Forces and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), on Tuesday, launched the "Imposing Sovereignty" operation across desert areas between Najaf and Karbala in central Iraq to secure major transit routes after social media reports alleged the presence of a foreign military site in the region.
The Joint Operations Command said the sweep is being conducted through four main axes to secure the highway linking Karbala with the Nukhayb desert district, an area described by officials as difficult terrain with limited monitoring and high security sensitivity.
Popular Mobilization Forces commander in the Middle Euphrates, Maj. Gen. Ali al-Hamdani, said the operation was launched under directives from the Commander-in-Chief and supervised by the Army Chief of Staff. "The operation was launched through four axes with the aim of securing the road linking Karbala and the Nukhayb area,” he said, according to remarks cited by Diplomat News Network.
The Ministry of Defense said Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah visited the Nukhayb area to review deployments and assess the readiness of units operating along the desert corridor, as part of ongoing field coordination measures.
The Security Media Cell stated: "There are currently no unauthorized bases or foreign forces on Iraqi soil,” adding that inspection operations in desert regions have continued over recent months without detecting any foreign military presence, despite continued security sweeps across remote areas.
In recent days, videos and images circulated online alleging clashes in the Najaf–Karbala desert and suggesting the existence of a concealed site allegedly linked to Israeli forces during recent regional tensions with Iran. Iraqi authorities have not independently confirmed these claims, and officials have urged reliance on verified security statements.
The desert corridor between Najaf, Karbala, and Nukhayb is frequently subjected to security operations due to its vast uninhabited terrain and its use as a transit route vulnerable to smuggling activity. Iraqi forces have repeatedly conducted clearance missions in similar regions to maintain road safety and reinforce state presence in remote zones.
The latest operation reflects heightened Iraqi security activity in strategic desert areas amid heightened regional sensitivities and the spread of unverified online narratives. It also underscores Baghdad’s continued efforts to consolidate territorial control and reinforce official accounts of security conditions in sparsely populated border-adjacent environments.
