Iraq seizes 100+ phones in Baghdad prison, denies ISIS link

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Justice Ministry on Wednesday confirmed the seizure of 111 mobile phones inside Baghdad’s Al-Karkh prison but denied claims that ISIS inmates were planning a “Ramadan raid.”

Ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi told Shafaq News the devices were confiscated days ago from Iraqi prisoners serving sentences at the facility, rejecting reports that they were ISIS suspects transferred from Syria.

The clarification followed a Facebook post by lawmaker Mohammed Al-Shammari, who alleged authorities had uncovered an ISIS “operations room” inside the prison and foiled an attack plan, including a suspected escape scheme. Laibi described such claims as inaccurate and “far from professional.”

Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017, the group continues to operate as an insurgent network in rural and desert areas, particularly in Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. The Joint Operations Command reports that counterterrorism raids and airstrikes during 2025 killed more than 90 ISIS militants, including senior operatives.