Crime rate in Iraq drops 80%, Interior Minister says

Shafaq News/ Iraq's Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari on Tuesday said that crime rates in the country had decreased by 80% in 2023 thanks to the "tireless work" of the Ministry of Interior and the Iraqi judiciary.

The minister's remarks came during a panel discussion on the sidelines of the al-Rafidain forum in Baghdad earlier today.

Al-Shammari said that the Iraqi-Syrian border was the most secure of all Iraq's borders, with a 95% success rate in preventing illegal crossings. He noted that the border was equipped with "smart cameras" and concrete barriers.

"Some foreign workers entered the country on tourist visas and then stayed illegally," he said. "The Ministry of Interior continues to apprehend and deport these individuals, as well."

On the issue of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), a militant group that is opposed to the Turkish government, al-Shammari said that the Iraqi Border Guard Forces were responsible for security in the Kurdistan Region. However, he added that the Turkish government had "violated" Iraqi territory in its fight against the PKK.

Al-Shammari assured that the security situation in the southern port city of Basra, Iraq's economic lifeline, was "good." He noted that there had been a decrease in crime in the city, which had encouraged increased investment.