Exclusive: Al-Zaidi threatens military intervention in Jurf Al-Sakhr
Shafaq News- Baghdad
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidi has given Kataib Hezbollah until the end of this week to hand full security responsibility for Jurf Al-Sakhr to government forces, warning of possible military intervention, informed government and political sources told Shafaq News on Sunday.
Al-Zaidi, who also serves as commander-in-chief of the armed forces, conveyed the deadline to mediators from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) and the Shiite Coordination Framework (CF), according to the sources, who said that he intends to assign special forces from the Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) to establish full security and military control over the subdistrict in northern Babil province in the coming days if mediation fails.
Read more: Why Jurf al-Sakhr remains beyond Baghdad's full control
The sources added that Al-Zaidi warned mediators that any party obstructing government measures would face action under the law, including the Anti-Terrorism Law. He also told them the planned move had full judicial backing.
Mediators are trying to persuade him to abandon the military option, fearing that a confrontation with Kataib Hezbollah could escalate beyond control, the sources said, describing Al-Zaidi as “determined” about intervention, particularly following the findings of the government committee investigating oil and petroleum-product smuggling from the area. The committee was also prevented from accessing some parts of the subdistrict to complete its investigation.
A day earlier, Al-Zaidi received the committee’s findings, which confirmed smuggling, uncovered oil-refining facilities and identified cases of manipulation. Al-Zaidi subsequently ordered those accused of involvement in smuggling referred to the judiciary and relieved nine security and government officials of their posts, including the Babil police chief and officials in intelligence, the National Security Service, the PMF, the Energy Police and the Oil Pipelines Company.
Shafaq News sources described plans to reinforce Federal Police positions and tighten inspections at the area's entrances and exits, alongside the proposed CTS deployment inside the subdistrict.
An earlier plan to restore government control involved three brigades of shrine-affiliated forces, the Federal Police’s Third Division and a CTS contingent. Its implementation stalled after its planned lines of advance were leaked, prompting the government to seek an alternative, an informed source told Shafaq News.
On Friday, Iraqi military units were placed on Alert C, the country's highest readiness level, amid reports of government troop movements toward Jurf Al-Sakhr.
Recent days have also seen calls and meetings between Al-Zaidi and CF and PMF leaders, including Badr Organization Secretary-General Hadi Al-Amiri, PMF Chairman Falih Al-Fayyadh, and PMF Chief of Staff Abdul Aziz Al-Muhammadawi, known as Abu Fadak, in efforts to resolve the crisis and avoid a military confrontation.
