A police chief in western Iraq says the country began stationing thousands of extra security officers along Iraq's border with Syria this week in an effort to keep out insurgents.
The chief, Major-General Tariq Youssef, said Friday that Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki ordered the reinforcements, in the wake of August truck bombings in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people.
The Iraqi government has linked the blasts to Baathist sympathizers located in Syria. Syria has demanded Iraqi authorities provide evidence to back up their allegations.
Iraq has also demanded that Syria hand over two people that Baghdad suspects played a role in the attacks. Syria has refused, demanding proof.
The bombings have soured relations between Iraq and Syria. Turkey has been holding talks aimed at defusing tensions between the two countries.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
