Russia denies reports on closure of Baghdad anti-terrorist center

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Monday dismissed media reports on the alleged closure of the Baghdad Information Center, which was set up by Russia and three Middle Eastern countries last year to coordinate their fight against the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group.

Iraq's Baghdad Post internet news portal has posted an article alleging that the center has folded its operations, including data exchanges on counter-terrorism, the ministry said in a statement.

"We note that this report is nothing but a piece of blatant disinformation, which has nothing to do with reality, and is aimed at bringing confusion in the ranks of our friends and associates and at sowing doubt about the Russian participation, which cements the center's activities," the statement said.

The Baghdad center remains an important tool of practical cooperation among all participants in the fight against the IS, and Russia's partners have confirmed their interest in further development of such cooperation, it added.

In September 2015, Russia, Syria, Iraq and Iran set up the Baghdad Information Center to coordinate joint military actions against the IS.

The four countries are represented by officers of their armed forces, whose primary task is to collect and analyze data related to militant operations in the region. Endi