Shafaq News- Diyala

Iraqi security forces arrested three suspects on Friday in the killingof Abbas Jawad Akash, head of the water department in the Abu Saida subdistrictof Diyala province, a police source told Shafaq News.

The suspects were taken to a detention center for questioning, thesource said.

Akash's body was found with gunshot wounds in an orchard on Thursdayevening, according to a security source.

Police have classified the killing as a criminal case based on initialfindings, and the victim's family has filed a complaint against severalsuspects.

Shafaq News- Diyala

Iraq's National Security Service (INSS) arrested two officers travelingin a civilian vehicle carrying smuggled medicines on a road in the easternprovince of Diyala, a security source told Shafaq News.

The medicines had not undergone official inspection and includedpsychotropic substances prohibited from sale in Iraqi pharmacies, according tothe source.

The two officers were taken to a security center for questioning aheadof legal proceedings.

Another source told Shafaq News that the police found the body of AbbasJawad Akash, director of the water department in the Abu Saida subdistrict northeast of Baquba. Akash had been shot dead, and his body was found in an orchard.

Shafaq News- Saladin

Iraqi security forces clashed with ISIS militants near theHamrin Mountains in Saladin province on Thursday, a security source told ShafaqNews.

Troops confronted a group of militants after detectingsuspicious movements near the mountain range, pursued them through ruggedterrain and launched search operations for other militants believed to behiding in the area, the source said.

No casualty or damage figures were immediately available.The source said further details would emerge after the security operation ends.

On September 12, an airstrike targeted three ISIS positionsin the Hamrin Mountains in Diyala province, a security source told Shafaq News.Authorities also closed Lake Hamrin to fishing after militants were spottedusing boats in the area and allegedly attempted to abduct three fishermen, whoescaped.

Read more: Iraq’s western desert from ISIS hideouts to new security challenges

* The Hamrin Mountains are a rugged range extending acrossDiyala, Saladin, and Kirkuk provinces in northeastern Iraq.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) said onThursday that it had executed 1,568 judicial arrest warrants across Baghdad andother provinces under its nationwide “Shadow of Justice” operation, launched onAug. 23.

The arrests included 553 suspects wanted overextortion and threats, 195 over fraud, 194 on drug-related charges, 54 onterrorism charges, and 54 accused of promoting the banned Baath Party.

The INSS said the end of the operation would not haltefforts to track down other wanted suspects, with arrest warrants continuing tobe enforced.

A security source told Shafaq News a day before thelaunch that Iraqi forces were preparing the campaign against suspects wanted onterrorism, drug, and other charges. Authorities promoted “Shadow of Justice”through videos and street banners and encouraged residents to provideinformation through a designated hotline.

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) said it foundmortar rounds and related equipment in the desert of western Al-Anbar provincethat had been “prepared for use against military barracks and positions.”

The PMF did not identify who was behind the allegedplot or report any arrests.

An emergency unit from the PMF's 55th Brigade foundthe munitions during a security and search operation in rugged desert terrainsouth of the international highway, according to the statement. The PMF saidthe unit used explosive-remnant detection equipment and available intelligenceduring the operation.

The seized material was handled by the relevantauthorities in accordance with established procedures, the PMF said.

Read more: Iraq’s western desert from ISIS hideouts to new security challenges

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces uncovered a large cache of weapons, C4explosives and ammunition inside a Hussainiya* in the al-Maamel area of easternBaghdad, a security source told Shafaq News on Thursday.

The seized items included 5 million Iraqi dinars (about$3,807), three RPG launchers, 13 anti-armor rockets, 10 anti-personnel rocketsand 18 rocket-launcher propellant charges.

The cache also contained two Russian-made Dragunov sniperrifles with four ammunition magazines, four AK-47 rifles with 17 magazines,eight M4 rifle magazines, a 9 mm pistol with a silenced magazine and another 7mm pistol with a silenced magazine.

Other items recovered from the site included six 60 mmmortar rounds, three smoke mortar rounds, a BKC belt loaded with 100 rounds,another 100 BKC rounds, 600 AK-47 rounds, eight empty shaped charges, oneready-to-use shaped charge, one adhesive explosive device body, five locallymade bombs and three anti-personnel radar mines.

Security forces also seized 32 blocks of C4 explosive andthree barrels containing C4, packed in bags weighing about 250 kg. The cacheheld two wooden telescopic anti-personnel explosive devices, 1,465 standarddetonators, 180 electric detonators, two large reels of detonating wire and 12smaller reels.

The remaining materials comprised one large detonator andtwo smaller ones, three locally made detonators, 12 locally made wirelessdetonators, 275 neodymium magnets, one 25-kg jerrycan and one 10-kg jerrycancontaining explosive material, 22 assorted hand grenades, and two mortar aimingdevices.

The source did not say whether anyone had been arrested inconnection with the cache or identify who the weapons and explosives belongedto.

Last August, Baghdad police seized a cache of weapons andammunition, including nine rifles, 13 offensive grenades and a rocket-propelledgrenade, during a security operation in the capital’s Hay al-Kufa area.

*Hussainiya is a religious and community gathering placeused primarily by Shiite Muslims for worship, religious ceremonies and communalactivities.

Read more: Iraqi forces uncover ammunition cache in Nineveh

Shafaq News-Diyala

YoussefYaqoub, a commander in Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), died onThursday in a car crash in the eastern province of Diyala, a security sourcetold Shafaq News.

Yaqoub,known by the nom de guerre Abu Ishaq, served as director of administration forthe PMF's Diyala Operations Command, according to the source.

The crashtook place on the road linking al-Khalis and al-Azim, north of Baquba, theprovincial capital, the source said.

The driverof the vehicle carrying Yaqoub was seriously injured. The cause of the crashwas not disclosed.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Central Criminal Court on Wednesday sentenced a drugtrafficker to death after convicting him of trafficking narcotics and findinghim with 85 kilograms of drugs, comprising 489,000 Captagon pills.

The pills had been brought into Iraq using a GPS-equippedhot-air balloon for distribution among drug users. The court said the sentencewas issued under Article 27/First of Iraq’s Narcotic Drugs and PsychotropicSubstances Law No. 50 of 2017, in conjunction with Articles 47, 48 and 49 ofthe Penal Code.

Earlier, Iraqi security forces intercepted balloons carryingnarcotics from Syria into Iraq. One intercepted in September 2025 contained245,000 Captagon pills, while another in November 2025 carried 22,000.

Brigadier General Akram Al-Rashid, director of Al-Anbar’sAnti-Narcotics Directorate, reported that security forces had intercepted everyballoon detected so far. 

Read more: High-altitude contraband: Iraq’s desert smugglers take to the skies

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Al-Diwaniyah

Iraq’s Federal Intelligence andInvestigation Agency dismantled an illegal dollar-trading network in Baghdadand uncovered suspected corruption involving public-sector appointments inAl-Diwaniyah, the agency announced on Wednesday.

In Baghdad, intelligence officersarrested five suspects accused of conducting unauthorized currency exchange anddomestic and international money transfers across several areas of Al-Rusafa.The agency said the group operated covertly, using social media to managetransactions and speculate in US dollars outside legal channels.

Read more: Iraq activates whistleblower rewards as corruption reports top 26,000

Authorities seized $240,000 andseveral mobile phones allegedly used in the operation. The suspects weredetained under Article 57 of Iraq’s Banking Law and referred for furtherinvestigation.

In Al-Diwaniyah, an EducationDirectorate employee was arrested on suspicion of manipulating appointmentapplications and orders in exchange for payments. Officers also confiscatedemployment-related documents and a sum of money connected to the case.

Preliminary findings indicated thatother employees may be involved, with the investigation continuing to identifythose implicated.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentenced a man to death on Wednesday for killing two members of the security forces during an operation to remove unauthorized structures in southern Baghdad in August, a judicial source told Shafaq News.

The court convicted Mohammed Abdul Majeed Khalaf al-Taie of shooting dead Brigadier General Hisham Mohammed Talaa and security member Khalid Abbas Lafta while they were on duty in Al-Dora area of southern Baghdad, according to the source.

In August, a security force and municipal service crews came under direct gunfire as they carried out an operation to remove unauthorized housing around Al-Dora, Karara, and the Dijla district in the south of the city.

Talaa, who headed the municipality police section on the Karkh side of Baghdad, and Lafta were killed in the attack. Four other people were wounded, among them security personnel and an employee of the Baghdad municipality. Security forces announced the arrest of the suspect two days after the incident.

Read more: Al-Dora clash highlights Iraq’s 3.5 million informal settlement crisis

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces found a drone carryingexplosive materials in Al-Marasima village in the Al-Radwaniyah district, westof Baghdad, a security source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Preliminary information indicated that the dronehad crashed earlier, “possibly in connection with recent events in the area.”

Security forces found explosives inside theaircraft before removing it and transferring it to a secure location inaccordance with standard procedures, the source added.

Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Iraqi security forces arrested three suspected members of ahuman trafficking network while they were allegedly attempting to sell anewborn baby for 2.5 million Iraqi dinars in central Nasiriyah, an IraqiNational Security Service (INSS) source told Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Authorities transferred the suspects to a detention facilitypending further investigation and legal proceedings, the source said.

In July, Iraqi courts recorded 167 human-trafficking cases,down 20% from 209 in June, according to the Supreme Judicial Council. Dhi Qarregistered no cases during the month.

The Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights said Iraqiauthorities detained 5,107 people in human-trafficking investigations during2025 and formally identified 385 victims.

Read more: Iraq arrests 5K+ in 2025 human trafficking cases

Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

A Federal Commission of Integrity team and security forces on Tuesday arrested six Al-Shatra Municipality employees over allegations of embezzling millions of dinars in collected revenues, an informed source in the Dhi Qar provincial administration told Shafaq News.

The Federal Commission of Integrity is an independent Iraqi state body responsible for preventing and investigating corruption.

The employees were arrested under warrants issued by an Integrity Investigation Court judge and transferred to a specialized investigation center.

Read more: Iraq activates whistleblower rewards as corruption reports top 26K

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Baghdad has become one of the world's safest capitals, with no majorterrorist or serious crimes recorded over the past 100 days, Iraq's InteriorMinistry said Tuesday.

Major General Miqdad Miri, head of the ministry's relations and mediadepartment, told a news conference that the crimes recorded in the capital overthat period were limited to minor cases, “all of them solved quickly.”

On drug trafficking, Miri said Iraq exchanges information with Iran andSyria and coordinates closely with them, working "as one team" to runoperations and arrest traffickers. Security forces flew 24 drone sorties alongthe border strip and carried out more than 100 operations that led to thearrest of smugglers, he said.

On the threat from ISIS, Miri said what remains of the group isscattered cells of individuals with limited capabilities. “Daily operations areunderway to arrest them, and the group will never return.”

Read more: ISIS detainee transfers test Iraq’s post-Coalition security

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi authorities dismantled 250 drug-trafficking networks, including 34 international groups, during the government’s first 100 days, Interior Ministry spokesperson Major General Miqdad Miri said on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference, Miri said anti-narcotics forces seized 785 kilograms of drugs and 177,000 narcotic pills and arrested 144 foreign suspects.

Iraqi courts issued 2,157 rulings in drug-related cases during the period, including cases involving 952 traffickers and 220 defendants linked to international trafficking, he said.

Read more: Iraq's war against narco-innovation

The rulings included 59 death sentences and 254 life terms. Authorities also issued 18 international arrest warrants and executed 18 arrest orders against suspects inside Iraq.

Miri said the Interior Ministry had also recorded declines in kidnapping, murder and rape, while improving the execution of outstanding arrest warrants.

Tribal warning shootings, known locally as “dagga ashairiya”, fell 30%, with 10 governorates recording no such incidents during the 100-day period. Armed tribal disputes fell 71%, according to the ministry.

Shafaq News 

Iraq is entering a sensitive security period as the plannedwithdrawal of US-led forces approaches, raising questions about how the countrywill address potential security gaps and protect its borders, according to areport by the Tehran Times.

The withdrawal could create opportunities for armed groupsand external actors to exploit existing political and security vulnerabilities.The report identified Iraq’s borders with Syria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Iranas areas of potential concern, where instability or isolated incidents couldtrigger wider tensions.

The report also highlights the importance of domestic negotiationsover weapons control, the capacity of state institutions, and the positions ofregional powers in shaping Iraq’s post-withdrawal security environment. Itpresents these as potential risks rather than predictions of specific events.

To continue reading, click here

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Electricity Ministry onMonday penalized six officials, including a director general, for “negligence”following an investigation into a September 14 transformer explosion at Baghdad’s newAl-Farabi substation that killed three employees.

A ministerial order attributed thepenalties to “shortcomings” in following up on the operation of the station’sSCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, imposing formalwarnings under Iraq’s State and Public Sector Employees Discipline Law.

Those penalized were Riyadh Oraibi,acting director general of the state-run General Company for ElectricityTransmission/Central Region; Amir Abdul Hassan Laibi, chief engineer anddirector of the First Grid; Salam Hindi Sayyah, head of operations; Sabah SamiShathar, former head of safety; Adnan Hassan Hussein, head of maintenance; andMohammed Abdul Amir Mazhar, formerly responsible for the station in theprotection section.

The findings also showed that thelate station controller, Abdul Zahra Farhan Katouf, had carried out anincorrect operational procedure involving equipment at the accident site thatwas not required under the work order, according to the document.

The ministry subsequently orderedtransmission and distribution station controllers to undergo training withinsix months, with those who fail the courses to be excluded. It also directedauthorities to complete the installation, testing and operation of SCADAequipment at secondary substations according to a set timetable.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A Baghdad court has recovered 51 billion Iraqidinars ($39M) for the state-owned Rafidain Bank in a financial andadministrative corruption case, the Iraqi Supreme Judicial Council said onMonday.

“Legal action is continuing against thoseresponsible, who are using illegal methods to make profits at the expense ofpublic funds,” it added.

Read more: Iraq activates whistleblower rewards as corruption reports top 26,000

Shafaq News- Saladin

Iraq's Interior Ministry is moving ahead withplans to assume responsibility for internal security across the country'sprovinces, with Saladin expected to make the transition within weeks or months,Senior Deputy Interior Minister Hussein al-Awadi said on Monday.

After ISIS seized large parts of Iraq in 2014,army units and other military formations took on expanded security roles incities and districts across several provinces. Baghdad has since pursued agradual transfer of day-to-day security responsibilities to the InteriorMinistry and local police, allowing army units to return to their primarymilitary duties.

The Interior Ministry has begun assumingresponsibility for security in a number of provinces, with logisticalpreparations underway to complete the transfer elsewhere, including inal-Anbar, Nineveh, and Baghdad, as part of a plan to finish handing over citysecurity duties nationwide by 2026.

“The ministry is determined to strengthensecurity across all provinces without giving a fixed date for individualtransfers,” Al-Awadi told reporters during a visit to Saladin province, adding thatthe ministry had shifted “from confronting terrorism to confronting crime.”

Weapons

Al-Awadi said the ministry had so far registeredabout six million weapons as part of the government's drive to regulatefirearms and restrict their possession to legally authorized stateinstitutions, with the process continuing in the coming months.

Read more: Iraq factions resist disarmament as coalition exit nears

Drugs and Border Crossings

On narcotics, Al-Awadi said the GeneralDirectorate for Narcotics Control had carried out operations beyond Iraq'sborders and at sea, including in Saudi Arabia “using advanced trackingequipment,” and a further significant operation would take place within days.

Al-Awadi said some border crossings had beenfitted with modern equipment, and the remaining crossings would be equipped inthe coming weeks.

Read more: The Smuggler's Almanac: Iraq's war against narco-innovation

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces arrested three suspected drug traffickers in separate operations in Saladin and Babil on Sunday, while a Basra court sentenced a foreign national to death for drug trafficking.

In Saladin, Nineveh anti-drug officers, working with their counterparts in the province, arrested two suspects in an ambush and seized 13,500 psychotropic pills, the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances said.

In Babil, the provincial Intelligence and Security Directorate said it arrested a suspected drug trafficker whom it described as “dangerous” and seized one kilogram of crystal methamphetamine, along with drug paraphernalia, including ampoules and gas canisters used for anesthesia.

The directorate said officers, working with Babil’s anti-narcotics unit, lured the suspect into an ambush after he had fled to Kirkuk.

Separately, the Basra Criminal Court sentenced a foreign national to death after convicting him of drug trafficking, according to Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council.

Authorities seized 10 kilograms and 50 grams of hashish from the convicted man, which the court said was intended for trafficking and distribution.

During the first half of 2026, Iraqi authorities seized about 2000 kilograms of narcotics, according to the Interior Ministry. Courts recorded 3,553 drug-related convictions during the period, including 58 death sentences and 236 life sentences.

Read more: Iraq’s desert smugglers take to the skies

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Kuwait

Iraq and Kuwait have foiled an attempt to smuggle 700,000 Captagon pillsinto Kuwait, the General Directorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic SubstancesAffairs said on Sunday.

The operation involved Iraqi anti-narcotics units in Al-Anbar provinceand Kuwait’s General Administration for Narcotics Control, which seized theshipment and arrested two suspects in Kuwait’s Jwakhir Kabd area. The suspectsincluded an Iraqi national and an undocumented resident.

During the first half of 2026, Iraqi authorities dismantled 378drug-trafficking networks, including 59 operating internationally, and seizedmore than 1,977 kilograms of narcotics, according to the Interior Ministry.Courts recorded 3,553 drug-related convictions during the period, including 58death sentences and 236 life terms.

Read more: High-altitude contraband: Iraq’s desert smugglers take to the skies

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Central Criminal Court handedsix-year and one-year prison terms to two members of the banned Al-Qurban group,the Supreme Judicial Council announced on Sunday.

The first defendant, whom the councildescribed as holding “deviant religious beliefs,” was convicted of inciting thesecond to take his own life. The rulings were issued under Article 9 of Law No.32 of 2016 Prohibiting the Baath Party, Racist, Terrorist, and TakfiriEntities, Parties, and Activities, alongside provisions of the Iraqi PenalCode.

Also known as Ali-Allahiya,Al-Qurban espouses beliefs including the deification of Ali ibn Abi Talib, thecousin and son-in-law of Prophet Mohammed, and promotes ritual self-sacrificethrough practices such as drawing lots to select individuals for an “offering.”Iraqi authorities have designated the movement an outlawed organization.

Authorities have pursued severalcases involving the group earlier this year, including the arrest of a seniorfigure accused of overseeing the suicides of several minors in southern Iraq. ADhi Qar criminal court later convicted another member of inciting children totake their own lives, while a Najaf court sentenced two group leaders to sixyears in prison for forcing members to commit suicide through a ritual known asthe “candle draw.”

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Al-Karkh Criminal Court inBaghdad began the trial on Sunday of six French nationals accused of belongingto ISIS after their transfer from Syria to Iraq in 2025, a Shafaq Newscorrespondent reported.

Armored military vehiclestransported the defendants from their detention facility to the Baghdad/Al-KarkhCourt of Appeal building under tight security, while vehicles carrying Frenchdiplomats later arrived at the courthouse.

Journalists were barred fromcovering the proceedings.

Iraqijudicial authorities have not publicly commented on the proceedings. ShafaqNews was unable to immediately obtain comment from the Supreme JudicialCouncil.

Read more: French lawyers challenge Iraq trials over ISIS cases

Shafaq News- Saladin

Iraqi security forces on Saturday launched a sweep across desert areas between Baiji in Saladin and Haditha in Al-Anbar to pursue ISIS militants after clashes near an electricity transmission tower, a security source told Shafaq News.

Forces are now searching for attackers who withdrew to unknown areas after the clash and tightening security around transmission towers and power lines to prevent further attacks.

One tower on the main Haditha-Baiji transmission line had been blown up late Friday, damaging the line and taking it out of service. Saad Ghazi Al-Mohammadi, head of the security committee in the Al-Anbar Provincial Council, told Shafaq News that preliminary information indicated one of the transmission towers had been targeted in an explosion.

Security forces separately thwarted an ISIS attempt to target another transmission tower in the same corridor. A security source told Shafaq News that forces intervened before the militants reached the tower, triggering clashes before the attackers withdrew.

Read more: Iraq’s western desert from ISIS hideouts to new challenges

Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

Two “dangerous” suspected drug traffickers were arrested after an armed clash with security forces in Iraq’s southern Dhi Qar province left two people injured, a security source told Shafaq News on Saturday.

The clash broke out near Thalaja Bridge in the Shatra district, north of the province. A third suspect fled the scene and remained at large.

Colonel Ahmed Karim, head of the Shatra Anti-Narcotics Office, was among those wounded in the exchange of fire, along with a passerby.

The identities of the suspected drug traffickers were not immediately available.