Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi security forces launched asweeping anticorruption operation across Baghdad and several provinces at dawnSunday, detaining 43 officials, politicians, businessmen, and members ofparliament in the largest such operation in the country's recent history.
Well-informed sources told ShafaqNews that the operation was conducted under the direct supervision of PrimeMinister Ali al-Zaidi and covered multiple Baghdad districts, including SadrCity, Shaab, Zayouna, Yarmouk, and the Qadisiyah residential complex, as wellas the provinces of Babil, Maysan, and Erbil. Security forces also raided theMidland Oil Company on suspicion of financial corruption involvement.
Two units carried out the arrests:the Counter-Terrorism Service and the Special Forces. Arrest warrants wereissued on charges of financial and administrative corruption, according to anothersecurity source cited by Shafaq News. All detainees have been handed over to theIntegrity Commission, under direct follow-up by the Prime Minister and thePresident of the Supreme Judicial Council, Faeq Zaidan.
Large sums of cash were seized fromthe homes and offices of those detained, according to the source, who addedthat the exact amounts will be announced after final accounting is completed. Some of those initially detained have since been released.
No security breaches, confrontations,or armed resistance were reported during the operation. The deployment ofarmored vehicles, according to the source, was limited to sealing entrances tothe Green Zone, the fortified government and diplomatic district in centralBaghdad, as a precautionary measure.
A second phase is planned, the sourcesaid, targeting senior-tier political figures, lawmakers, directors-general,and businessmen.
The current operation remainsongoing.
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