Iraq criminalizes drone use under Anti-Terrorism Law

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Supreme Judicial Council on Wednesday directed courts to prosecute individuals involved in the manufacture, use, or possession of drones deployed “in illegal activities,” according to a statement from the council.

Courts have been instructed to apply the country's Anti-Terrorism Law, legislation that carries some of the most severe criminal penalties in Iraqi statute, to cases involving drones that endanger public safety or constitute criminal offenses.

The directive does not specify categories of prohibited devices or define thresholds for civilian use.

One day earlier, Iraq's Ministry of Defense established a tactical trench training facility at the Special Forces School, designed to prepare troops for battlefield threats that have come to define contemporary warfare.

Iraq has faced recurring incidents in which unmanned aircraft were used in attacks on military installations, energy infrastructure, Iranian opposition parties, and diplomatic compounds on its territory, particularly in the Israeli-US-Iran war.