Special to WorldTribune.com

ABU DHABI — Saudi Arabia has expanded a buffer zone along the kingdom’s border with Iraq.

Officials said the Saudi military has overseen the establishment of a security barrier to protect against Islamic insurgency infiltration along the northern border with Iraq. They said the military and Border Guard Command would ban unauthorized visitors or vehicles along the 800-kilometer border.

“The depth of the border has been increased by 20 kilometers,” Saudi Border Guard spokesman Mohammed Al Fahimi said.

Al Fahimi did not report the size of the former security zone.

Officials said the military and Border Guard Command were protecting the northern border through a multi-billion-dollar security barrier. They said the barrier, developed by EADS, included radars, infrared cameras, reconnaissance towers and unmanned aerial vehicles.

Saudi Arabia was said to have reinforced its military presence along the Iraqi border in 2014 amid the advance of Islamic State of Iraq and Levant. The Gulf Cooperation Council kingdom has also been on alert for Iranian-backed insurgents from Iraq, who in November 2013 fired mortar shells into Saudi Arabia.

  Border alert — Saudi Arabia: Military expands buffer zone with Iraq, WorldTribune.com