Iraq shuts down over 1,100 unsafe projects

Shafaq News – Baghdad

Iraq’s Civil Defense Directorate shut down 1,118 projects across the country over a 48-hour period for violating safety regulations, the Interior Ministry announced Saturday.

In a statement, the ministry’s Head of Relations and Media, Miqdad Miri, noted that 508 of these closures took place in the past 24 hours during intensive field inspections.

Babil province recorded the highest number of closures with 101, followed by Najaf with 94 and al-Anbar with 65. Additional actions affected Baghdad’s al-Rusafa and al-Karkh districts, as well as Karbala, Nineveh, Wasit, Basra, and other provinces.

Miri confirmed that civil defense teams will maintain strict enforcement, urging project owners to fully comply with safety standards and legal requirements. He also underscored that protecting lives and fostering a culture of prevention remain the ministry’s highest priorities.

The shutdowns come amid a broader nationwide crackdown on unlicensed and unsafe commercial facilities, launched in the wake of the July 17 fire at a hypermarket in Kut, which claimed nearly 70 lives, including women and children.