Shafaq News- Najaf

The agal, the black circular headband worn over the keffiyehand other traditional head coverings, remains an important part of Iraqi dressand social life, carrying different meanings from childhood in rural and desertcommunities to adulthood, when it can signify dignity, responsibility andsocial standing.

For some Iraqi families, boys begin wearing the agal ataround the age of five. The custom introduces them to traditions associatedwith their fathers and grandfathers while teaching values such as generosity,hospitality and respect for others. As they grow older, the same piece ofclothing can take on a different significance, becoming associated with theresponsibilities expected of a man within his community.

Read more: Stitched in isolation: Iraqi fashion fights to be seen

Learning the Agal

Hadi al-Ghazali, a member of Iraq’s desert communities, toldShafaq News how the practice begins early. Children are encouraged to spendtime with older people, listen to their conversations and learn from theirexperiences, making the agal part of a broader tradition of passing customsfrom one generation to the next.

“The agal gives a man greater social standing within thedesert community,” al-Ghazali said. Wearing it also comes with an expectationthat a man will be conscious of his behavior, weigh his words and actions, andremain faithful to the values and traditions he grew up with.

Those meanings are especially visible in communities wherecustoms surrounding dress remain closely tied to family and social life. Butthe story of the agal itself reaches well beyond the desert and the period inwhich the garment acquired its modern form.

Threads of Time

Archaeological researcher Burhan al-Delfi traced that longerhistory through ancient Mesopotamian depictions of head coverings. Statues ofrulers show that what people wore on their heads could carry social andpolitical significance thousands of years ago, providing clues about status aswell as dress.

Gudea, the ruler of the Sumerian city-state of Lagash in thelate third millennium BCE, is among the best-known examples. Several statuesportray him wearing a distinctive head covering. The Louvre Museum describes itas a royal headdress, while the Head of Gudea, one of the most recognizablepieces, dates to around 2120-2110 BCE.

It would be tempting to draw a straight line from thosesculptures to the agal worn in Iraq today, but the evidence does not supportthat conclusion.

Al-Delfi pointed out that Gudea’s head covering was acomplete piece worn over the head, whereas the modern agal is a separatecircular band placed over a keffiyeh or another head covering to hold it inplace.

The resemblance, he cautioned, is therefore not enough toestablish a direct historical link. What the archaeological record does show isthat head coverings held symbolic importance in Iraq more than 4,000 years ago,with royal statues offering evidence of their place in ancient society.

The agal in its contemporary form emerged much later as partof traditional Arab dress. Over time, it developed associations of its own,linked to dignity, prestige and a man’s position within his community. Thoseassociations have helped keep it relevant even as the clothes and lifestylessurrounding it have changed.

In Najaf, that continuity can be found not only in whatpeople wear, but also in the hands of those who make it.

Rahman Twaij, who owns a shop selling agals and keffiyehs,noted that the trade still relies on a variety of styles and materials. Najafsupplies its own market, while agals made there also reach customers in otherparts of Iraq and abroad.

Among the varieties are the maraaz, Syrian and importedtypes. The maraaz is one of the styles most closely associated with Najaf.Textile threads arrive from the Levant, and local craftsmen then sew and finishthe agals before they are offered for sale.

The differences are not always obvious to an unfamiliar eye.Maraaz agals can be smooth, rough or soft, and buyers tend to have differentpreferences depending on where they come from. Customers from western Iraqgenerally favor softer varieties, while those from the central and southernprovinces often look for a maraaz style known as Abu al-Shaar, or “the hairyone.”

Maysan province has its own preference in the muqaddaf, alsoknown as the qadeefa agal. Twaij noted that the variety is relatively recent.Japanese threads are used to make it, although the work itself is carried outin Najaf.

The trade has changed along with the tools used to make thegarment. Before 2003, Twaij recalled, craftsmen obtained maraaz agals fromSinjar and Mosul and sent them through stages that included spinning, washingand dyeing. They were then brought back for final preparation and sale.

Sewing machines have since made much of the process easier,particularly spinning and stitching, reducing the time required to producedifferent varieties. That has not erased the differences between one agal andanother. It has simply made it easier for craftsmen to meet them.

Prices begin at around 4,000 Iraqi dinars ($3.05) and canreach approximately 300,000 Iraqi dinars ($229), depending on the type, qualityand method of production. Some customers also order pieces according to theirown specifications.

Read more: Baghdad’s black beauty: Zaynabi Abaya still reigns supreme in Iraqi culture

Woven Differences

Walk through Najaf’s Abayjiya Market, near the shrine ofImam Ali, and those differences become easier to see. Agals in different shapesand finishes sit alongside the keffiyehs they are meant to secure, reflectingtastes that extend beyond Iraq’s borders.

Abu Ali al-Najafi, who owns an agal shop in the market,noted how Arab styles have developed according to local cultures, customs andenvironments. Iraqi and Gulf varieties differ in their shape, materials, weightand construction.

An Iraqi agal is generally medium to wide in thickness, witha fuller, more rounded appearance when worn over the head. Some Gulf varietiesare thinner and flatter, giving them a lower profile above the head covering.

The material can make the distinction just as clear.Traditional Iraqi agals commonly use goat wool, while silk is incorporated intosome varieties. They are generally dark black with a matte appearance.

Some Gulf styles use wool, synthetic fibers and othermaterials and can have a more noticeable sheen. Iraqi agals also tend to beheavier and more rigid, allowing them to retain their circular form over akeffiyeh or shemagh. Some Gulf versions are lighter and more flexible.

Even the back can carry a regional signature. Iraqi agalsare generally plain, without hanging cords, while some Gulf varieties featuredecorative additions known in certain countries as karkousha or hadab.

For al-Najafi, those differences illustrate the waytraditional clothing changes with the people who wear it. The agal may berecognizable across much of the Arab world, but its shape, materials andconstruction have been shaped by local preferences.

Yet beneath those variations is a remarkable consistency.Across regions and generations, the agal has retained its basic purpose andrecognizable form, adapting to changing tastes without losing its identity.

The agal’s durability lies partly in its simplicity. It doesnot need to change much to remain recognizable. It has moved from onegeneration to another, from desert communities to city markets, and from oldermethods of production to machines, while continuing to occupy a familiar placein Iraqi dress.

In Najaf, the story is still being made: on a craftsman’sworktable, in the hands of a customer choosing a particular style, and on thehead of a child beginning to learn what the black band means.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Najaf, a city of dust and divinity

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Nineveh faces a major kerosene shortage ahead of winter,with available supplies covering only a small share of demand, a source at theprovince’s Oil Products Distribution Company told Shafaq News on Thursday.

Depots hold no more than 30 million liters, while officialration-card data show around 850,000 families are registered in the province. Accordingto the source, providing an initial 100-liter allocation to all families wouldrequire 85 million liters. Winter distribution typically includes three to foursuch allocations, far exceeding the volume now in storage.

Nineveh has also faced fuel shortages in recent months.Private station operators said the province receives 3.3 million liters ofgasoline a day despite demand exceeding 4 million liters, blaming long queueson an imbalance in allocations between private and state-run stations.

Read more: Mosul drivers lose hours daily in fuel queues

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Rescue teams recovered the body of six-year-old Amir on Thursday after he fell into a water well more than 100 meters deep in Al-Manaiya village, in Rabia subdistrict west of Mosul, a Nineveh Civil Defense source told Shafaq News.

The source said crews reached the child after a difficult rescue operation and transferred his body to the forensic department.

Civil Defense teams had worked for several hours to reach Amir after receiving reports that he had fallen into the narrow well, which contained water and had little oxygen at that depth.

The incident came less than two weeks after four-year-old Hajar Mohammed Hassan died after rescuers pulled her from a 20-meter-deep well in Al-Sharai village in Kwer, southeast of Mosul.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) said on Thursday that authorities had opened two investigations into an operation in Altun Kupri, north of Kirkuk province, that killed two civilians and wounded four CTS personnel.

The Service said its forces had pursued two suspected militants in a densely populated residential area, one wearing an explosive belt and the other armed, alleging that they were preparing an attack against civilians.

A clash broke out as CTS forces moved to stop them, killing one suspect and leading to the arrest of the other, according to the statement.

The CTS said the commander-in-chief of the armed forces ordered the formation of a joint investigative committee immediately after the incident, while the head of the Service separately established a fact-finding committee to determine the circumstances and identify any negligence.

It offered condolences to the victims’ families, stressing that protecting civilians was among its primary duties. The Service said it would disclose the findings and take necessary measures based on the investigations.

The Sept. 27 incident has drawn criticism in the Kurdistan Region. Civil society groups and representatives of several political parties called on Wednesday for an independent and impartial investigation into the deaths of two Kurdish teenagers during the operation.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Civil defense teams launched a rescue operation on Thursday after a child fell into a water well in Al-Manaiya village, in Rabia subdistrict west of Mosul, a source in Nineveh’s Civil Defense Directorate told Shafaq News.

The source said rescue crews cordoned off the site and began a complex operation to reach and retrieve the child from the bottom of the well, which is about 100 meters deep and contains water.

Based on initial information and the difficult conditions inside the well, the source said the child was feared dead. Specialized rescue teams were continuing their efforts, however, in hopes of retrieving the child as quickly as possible.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq ranked 125th out of 196 countries in CEOWORLDMagazine’s 2026 Human Progress Index (HPI), scoring 70.58 points.

Among Arab countries, the United Arab Emirates rankedhighest at 31st globally with an HPI score of 92.59, followed by Qatar at 47thwith 87.46 and Bahrain at 54th with 86.66, according to the data.

Globally, Singapore topped the index with 97.88 points,followed by Switzerland with 97.78 and Denmark with 97.70. Norway and Irelandcompleted the top five, while nine of the 10 highest-ranked countries wereEuropean.

The Human Progress Index measures quality of life through 23indicators divided equally among stability, satisfaction and balance. Stabilitycovers economic growth, taxation, life expectancy, employment security, housingand household income, while satisfaction measures safety, governance,corruption perceptions, healthcare, education and infrastructure. Balanceassesses human rights, civil liberties, political rights, work-life balance,religious freedom, gender equality and environmental care.

CEOWORLD said the ranking combines quantitative data frominternational economic, development, governance and environmental datasets withexpert review, using the most recent available figures for each source.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

At 4:00 a.m., Abu Mohammed switches off his taxi's engine to save whatlittle fuel is left in the tank and joins a line of cars outside a state-runstation on Mosul's eastern bank. The pumps open at 7:00. Whether any gasolineremains by the time he reaches them is another matter.

"My day starts here in the queue instead of starting with earning aliving," the 48-year-old driver told Shafaq News. Some mornings the waitlasts two hours, others four or five, he said, and the car is his family's onlysource of income.

Scenes like this have become routine in Mosul, the capital of Iraq'snorthern Nineveh province, where the latest wave of gasoline shortages isnearing the end of its first month, drivers and residents said. Hundreds ofvehicles line up before dawn, and queues stretch for several kilometers.

Omar al-Khalidi, a civil activist in Mosul, said public anger hadreached its peak. Residents are filming to show officials in Baghdad andNineveh that people struggle every day for a basic service, he said, in acountry that is among the world's largest oil exporters.

That frustration has spilled onto the roads before. On Sept. 9, securityforces dispersed a protest by truck drivers who had blocked a major road at oneof the city's entrances over fuel shortages.

Local sources say Nineveh's proximity to the Kurdistan Region has addedpressure to supplies. Gasoline in Nineveh is sold at state-subsidized prices,while prices in the neighboring Region are higher.

To stop people crossing in to buy cheaper fuel, Iraq's Oil Ministryintroduced a fuel card system and tiered supply quotas. “The measures have madeit harder to fill up,” one resident said.

Local authorities have pressed the federal government and the OilMinistry for a larger gasoline allocation, informed sources in Nineveh toldShafaq News. The provincial administration said earlier that Nineveh's dailyquota had been raised from about 3.3 million liters to nearly 3.5 millionliters.

A private station owner told Shafaq News that the additional supply hadyet to make a clear difference on the ground, with deliveries sometimesarriving late or running out within the first hours of the day because of thenumber of vehicles waiting.

In late August, Nineveh Governor Abdul Qadir al-Dakhil gave thePetroleum Products Distribution Department until Sept. 1 to resolve the crisis.A month later, the queues persist.

The shortages reach beyond Nineveh. The Oil Ministry attributed broadernational shortages to delayed gasoline shipments. It said regional tensions haddisrupted tanker movements, widening a gap between domestic production andconsumption. National demand stands at about 33 million liters a day and canreach 38 million at peak times, according to the ministry.

Higher fares, lost hours

In Mosul, the effects show up well away from the pumps. Taxi and publictransport fares have risen, and employees and students are arriving late towork and classes, another resident said. “Workshops and small businesses thatdepend on fuel, generators and daily travel have also taken a hit,” he added.

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Beirut

Iraq has recovered a former Wasit Health Directorateemployee who fled to Lebanon after being convicted in absentia of taking partin the embezzlement of nearly 3.8 billion Iraqi dinars (around $2.9 million) inpublic funds, the Federal Integrity Commission (CoI) said on Thursday.

The commission identified the woman as Alia Hassouni, sayingLebanese authorities arrested her following coordination with Iraq and handedher over through the Interior Ministry’s Arab and International PoliceDirectorate (Interpol).

Hassouni was convicted over two embezzlement offensesinvolving 2.86 billion dinars (around $2.18 million) and 923.7 million dinars(around $705,000), respectively.

The Wasit Criminal Court previously sentenced her inabsentia to life imprisonment and ordered her to repay 3,779,032,824 dinars(around $2.89 million) to the Wasit Health Directorate. The ruling alsopreserved the directorate’s right to seek compensation once the judgmentbecomes final.

CoI said the recovery followed coordination involving itsExtradition Department, the Interior Ministry, judicial authorities, the PublicProsecution Service and Iraq’s embassy in Lebanon.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Dozens of Iraqis gathered in Tahrir Square, in centralBaghdad, on Wednesday evening to celebrate the "Sovereignty Day."

A Shafaq News crew captured scenes from the celebration,including fireworks and Iraqi flags raised across the square, while someparticipants also carried the flags of Asaib Ahl al-Haq, one of Iraq's most powerful armed factions led by Qaisal-Khazali.

Photos also showed a security presence near the crowd, asvehicles circled the area around Tahrir Square flying the Iraqi flag.

Earlier, in a speech marking “Sovereignty Days,” Iraqi PrimeMinister Ali Al-Zaidi said Iraq has entered a new era following the end of theUS-led Coalition’s mission against ISIS in the country, marking a new chapterin which Baghdad will exercise full control over its decisions, territory, andsovereignty.

Read more: Iraqi Army after US-led Coalition withdrawal: Can Baghdad achieve full military sovereignty?

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Dozens of members of Iraqi armed factions,an umbrella grouping of Iran-aligned groups, gathered in Baghdad on Wednesdayto mark “Sovereignty Days,” commemorating the Sept. 30 end of the US-ledCoalition’s military mission and the shift to bilateral security partnerships.

The gathering, attended by some factioncommanders, took place near the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) mediadirectorate on Palestine Street. Participants carried images of Ayatollah AliAl-Sistani, former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and former Hezbollahleader Hassan Nasrallah.

The event also featured models and replicasof drones representing operations carried out by Iraqi factions against “USforces and interests in Iraq and elsewhere in the region.”

Earlier today, Prime Minister Ali Al-Zaidiformally declared the end of the Coalition’s mission against ISIS in Iraq,saying Iraqi forces would assume full responsibility for the country’ssecurity.

Read more: Iraqi leaders mark ‘Sovereignty Days’ as Coalition mission ends

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) will require Korek Telecom to pay 500 billion dinars (around $382 million) and obtain tax clearance from the federal Finance Ministry before it can resume operations, Executive Director Baligh Abu Kalal said on Wednesday.

Speaking at the opening of ITEX Iraq 2026, Abu Kalal said the payment represented about a quarter of Korek’s outstanding dues to the regulator and would serve as an initial payment and sign of good faith.

If both conditions are met, the CMC is prepared to sign a new settlement agreement with Korek and complete procedures for Korek to resume operations, he said. The payment would not write off the remaining dues, which would be covered by the new agreement.

On September 28, Korek said Baghdad’s Al-Rusafa Court of First Instance had overturned the CMC’s decision to cancel a September 2025 settlement. The company said the court ruled that the agreement remained in force.

The CMC had canceled the settlement in June, accusing Korek of failing to meet contractual, legal and financial obligations. It later closed several company offices in Baghdad and began procedures to suspend its network and seize its assets. Korek rejected the measures and challenged the regulator’s authority to cancel the agreement.

Abu Kalal also called on the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) and its Transport and Communications Ministry to help resolve the dispute, as the ongoing standoff harmed the public and cooperation was needed to protect the rights of citizens and the state.

Shafaq News-Baghdad

The Iraqigovernment will hold an official ceremony in Baghdad on Thursday to mark theend of the US-led Coalition's military mission against ISIS in Iraq.

Senior stateofficials will attend, including Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani,along with military and security commanders, political and community figures,and coalition representatives.

PrimeMinister Ali Falih al-Zaidi, who is also commander-in-chief of the Iraqi armedforces, announced the formal end of the coalition's mission in Iraq. He thankedcoalition members for supporting Iraqi security forces in the fight againstISIS.

Read more: Kurdistan Region faces air-defense gap as US troops leave Iraq

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission (CoI) said on Wednesday it seized 5.25 kilograms of gold jewelry as part of an illicit-enrichment investigation involving the detained deputy director of Saladin’s Real Estate Registration Directorate.

The commission, the country’s anti-corruption watchdog, said investigators located the gold after questioning the woman’s husband, who is also detained in the case. According to the statement, the jewelry had been moved from the suspect’s home by her sister and taken to another person’s residence.

On August 30, authorities announced the detention of the husband and the seizure of documents and deeds relating to 95 properties in Baghdad, Diyala and Saladin.

Investigators also found 31 blank fingerprinted forms, computers, cash and gold jewelry at the official’s home, according to the commission.

Read more: Iraq’s Dawn Crackdown spreads through state institutions

Shafaq News-Baghdad

Iraq will not allowunauthorized entry or exit through the Shalamcheh border crossing with Iran,Border Ports Authority chief said on Tuesday.

Omar Adnan Al-Waeli conductedan unannounced inspection of the crossing in Basra province, reviewingoperations and compliance with government directives and border procedures. Hecalled for stronger security, customs and oversight while keeping passenger andcommercial traffic moving smoothly.

Iraq temporarily closed the Shalamcheh, Al-Sheeb and Mandali crossings withIran on September 12 while authorities investigated security and administrativeviolations. The closures followed Saudi Arabia’s statement that drones launchedfrom Iraqi territory had struck its East-West oil pipeline in the Riyadh andMedina regions.

An Iraqi investigation later found that the attacks originated from a sitein Maysan province, while Iran denied involvement. Baghdad began reopening thethree crossings on September 13 in stages, restoring passenger and commercialtraffic after security, administrative and technical reviews.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Director of the Office of theCommander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Al-Shammari, calledTuesday for regulating Iraq’s foreign labor market to balance market needs withthe country’s demand for specialized expertise.

Al-Shammari chaired a meeting toreview and verify the status of foreign workers in Iraq, focusing on mechanismsfor implementing the commander-in-chief’s directives on monitoring foreignlabor and ensuring that relevant legal procedures comply with applicable lawsand regulations.

He stressed the need to addresscases of foreign workers operating outside legal frameworks in accordance withthe law. Al-Shammari also called for stronger inspection, oversight andmonitoring by the relevant authorities, citing the potential economic, securityand social consequences of violations.

Several months ago, Iraq’sMinistry of Labor and Social Affairs said 47,000 foreign workers wereofficially registered in the country, complied with legal requirements, andheld work permits issued by the ministry.

Read more: International Labor Day in Iraq: A holiday in search of its workers

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Airways will resume flights to Iranian airports inOctober, the airline said on Tuesday, adding that the service will initiallyoperate from Najaf airport.

In a statement, Iraqi Airways said its efforts to secure anexemption from the ban on flights to Iran had succeeded, granting it a “specialexemption to operate flights to the Islamic Republic of Iran.”

It added that preparations were underway to ready aircraftand complete the requirements for operating the service.

Iraqi Airways stressed that services will resume only afterthe required regulatory and technical procedures have been completed and inaccordance with approved operating standards. However, a senior source toldShafaq News that the ban on Iranian airlines remains in effect.

The disruption followed US Treasury sanctions announced on September 8against 36 Iran-related aviation targets, including 27 airlines, and warningsthat companies providing services to sanctioned carriers could face penalties.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Health Minister Abdul HusseinAl-Mussawi on Tuesday ordered directors-general of health departments andhospital directors to be held responsible if investigations establishnegligence in delivering medicines from state warehouses to healthcare facilities.

Al-Mussawi instructed ministryinspection committees to verify medicine stocks at health institutions andcompare shortages in their pharmacies with supplies available at KIMADIA,Iraq’s State Company for Marketing Drugs and Medical Appliances.

The directive follows investigationsordered earlier this month into hospitals reporting shortages of medicines,including scorpion antivenom. According to the ministry, inspections foundseveral medicines available at KIMADIA warehouses despite shortcomings anddelays in supplying some healthcare facilities.

Read more: Iraq’s Pharmaceutical Crisis: shortages, counterfeitdrugs, and reforms

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Nineveh Provincial Council onTuesday approved a proposal to establish a university in Sinjar, an areadisputed between Iraq’s federal government and the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment (KRG), whose status remains tied to Article 140* of the IraqiConstitution.

The move follows a preliminaryagreement earlier this month between both governments to establish a federallyadministered university in Khanaqin, another disputed area covered by Article140.

*Article 140 of Iraq's Constitutionestablished a process for resolving the status of Kirkuk and other disputedterritories through normalization, a census and a referendum. Theconstitutional deadline for completing the process was the end of 2007, but itremains unresolved.

Read more: Why is a university in Khanaqin so politically sensitive?

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Washington

The US administration has agreed to exempt Najaf International Airport from restrictions affecting Iranian airline operations, an Iraqi government source told Shafaq News on Tuesday, citing the airport's use of Iraqi ground-handling staff and its ability to process transactions outside the US dollar.

The source said other Iraqi airports rely on foreign ground-handling companies that halted services to Iranian carriers over concerns about US sanctions, while Najaf uses Iraqi ground-service staff and can process transactions in euros, Iraqi dinars or Iranian tomans.

Najaf Airport is also administratively under the provincial government rather than the Transport Ministry and had continued servicing Iranian carriers until a US decision prompted Najaf Governor Yusuf Kanawi to halt those operations.

The source said Iranian airlines could resume flights once Iraq’s Council of Ministers or the Najaf governor issues the necessary authorization, without exposing the airport to US sanctions.

On September 28, Iraqi Airways announced that it had resumed its own flights to Iranian airports through Najaf. However, the resumption did not apply to Iranian carriers. A Najaf Airport source later told Shafaq News that restrictions on Iranian airlines remained in force and that the airport had received no official instructions allowing them to resume flights.

Read more: US sanctions reshape Iraq-Iran travel, airline operations

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's Central Anti-Corruption Criminal Court sentenced sitting lawmakerMohammed Farman Shaher Salman al-Jubouri to seven years in prison for illicitenrichment, the Federal Commission of Integrity said on Tuesday, the fourthmember of parliament jailed on the same charge this month.

The court ordered al-Jubouri to repay illicit gains of 11.8 billionIraqi dinars and $1.73 million, and fined him an equal amount. The total comesto 28,157,250,476 dinars, more than $21 million, according to the commission.

The verdict was delivered in al-Jubouri's presence under Article 19 ofthe Commission of Integrity and Illicit Gain Law No. 30 of 2011, as amended. Aseparate three-year sentence for concealment will not be served, because thecourt applied “the heavier of the two penalties.”

Lawmaker Bahaa al-Din al-Nouri received a seven-year sentence on Sept.16. On Sept. 23, the same court handed seven-year terms to lawmakers Alia Nassif and Ashwaq Salem Hassan. Nassif was ordered to pay more than 61 billiondinars and Hassan nearly 12 billion dinars, with both totals covering illicitgains and matching fines.

The rulings are part of Dawn Crackdown, a nationwide anti-corruptioncampaign that Iraqi authorities launched on June 28 against current and formerofficials, lawmakers and business figures.

Read more:Corruption arrests in Iraq pass 210 under PM al-Zaidi

Shafaq News-Nineveh

On Tuesday, judicialauthorities in Nineveh released Amer Abdullah Najm al-Jumaili, a lecturer atthe University of Mosul, after completing the initial legal procedures relatedto his detention.

A securitysource told Shafaq News that Al-Jumaili, a lecturer at the university’s College of Archaeology, was released on financialbail.

Al-Jumailiwas detained on Monday after he alleged in a Facebook comment that state landnear an ancient Assyrian site in Nineveh province was being handed toinfluential figures, a source told Shafaq News.

Read more: Mosul lecturer detained after allegations over Nineveh state land

Shafaq News-Al-Muthanna

Iraq’sFederal Commission of Integrity announced on Tuesday the arrest of 10 hospitalemployees in Samawah, the capital of southern Al-Muthanna province, overalleged manipulation of payment receipts and misappropriation of fees involvingmore than 1,000 patient records.

Thecommission's Al-Muthanna Investigation Office examined records from 2024, 2025and 2026, finding nearly 800 without payment receipts and around 200accompanied by receipts bearing names different from those of the actualpatients.

Based on thefindings, the judge of the Al-Muthanna Integrity Investigation Court issuedarrest and search warrants for the 10 employees under Article 315 of the IraqiPenal Code.

Earlier thismonth, the anti-corruption watchdog arrested five employees overseeing a stateconstruction project over violations in the renovation of Al-Hussein TeachingHospital in Samawah. The five —three engineers and two surveyors— were accusedof deliberately causing financial harm to the public entity employing them.

On August28, a source told Shafaq News that the commission had detained between threeand five suspects linked to the Al-Muthanna Health Directorate overirregularities in the same hospital's rehabilitation.

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

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Erbil

The Iraqi government and theKurdistan Regional Government (KRG) agreed to more than double reciprocaluniversity admissions for the next academic year as part of ongoing scientificand strategic cooperation between their higher education ministries, thefederal Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research announced onTuesday.

Under the agreement, undergraduateplaces available to students from both sides will increase from 400 to 1,000,while postgraduate places will rise from 100 to 250.

Federal Iraq has more than 75 public and private higher-educationinstitutions, according to the Ministry of Higher Education and ScientificResearch. Separately, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) has 16 public and 18 private universities, with acombined enrollment of 186,400 students, including 145,513 at publicinstitutions and 40,887 at private universities, according to KRG data.

Read more: Why is a university in Khanaqin so politically sensitive?

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Riam Fadhil, 25, wanted her cake and pastry business tolaunch with a ready-made audience. Rather than spend months building one onsocial media, she bought an existing account with hundreds of thousands offollowers, hoping it would lend her venture credibility and faster reach.

Fadhil told Shafaq News she paid one million Iraqi dinars(about $760) for an account with roughly 300,000 followers, but the purchasedid not deliver. "After I started posting, I noticed that most of thefollowers were men, and their numbers began dropping rapidly," sherecalled. Real engagement never materialized, and the comments that did appearwere mostly negative or mocking.

When she returned to the seller and demanded a refund, herefused, telling her the account had previously been used to sell motorcyclesand that payments cannot be returned once a sale is complete.

Trade in social media pages has become noticeably morecommon in recent months, she observed. Some belong to well-known activists orinfluencers who sell them, while others are stolen accounts with largefollowings that are resold for profit.

Legal Gray Area

Specialists interviewed by Shafaq News warn that thepractice carries security and social risks as the Iraqi law contains no directprovision punishing it as a standalone crime. Only indirect provisions apply,tied to the nature of the transaction and its consequences.

Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube prohibitselling, buying, or transferring accounts without their approval, and canpermanently close an account once a sale is detected. Legal experts said buyersmay face difficulty seeking compensation through the courts when a transactionviolates a platform’s terms of service, though the outcome would depend on thecircumstances of each case.

Legal expert Mohammed Jumaa said that no law prevents thesale or purchase of accounts on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, or similarplatforms, “making the act permissible in the absence of a prohibitingprovision.”

“Such sales fall under the general rules governing sales andprivacy,” he explained, adding that the law doesn’t bar the sale of an accountunless it violates privacy, as when the account holds personal photos,messages, or other private material. 

Read more: Iraq’s influencers: How CBI rules could push a booming digital economy underground

Jumaa said both seller and buyer could face legal liabilityif private photos or confidential information from a sold account werepublished.

A sale can also become a criminal matter, Jumaa warned,particularly when the account is used for electronic extortion or to lurevictims for human trafficking. In such cases, Jumaa said both parties couldface criminal liability if the account were used for offenses such aselectronic extortion or human trafficking, “depending on their knowledge andinvolvement.”

Because many account sales are not carried out under writtencontracts, he added, a seller can easily deny involvement.

Scams on Telegram

Jamil Rashid, 20, wanted to share his daily life online andspeed up his reach, so he turned to a Telegram page that specializes in sellingaccounts. After agreeing on a deal with a seller and transferring the payment,he lost all contact: the seller vanished and closed the account. Rashid neverreceived what he paid for.

Shafaq News identified account markets on Telegram andFacebook, in groups with more than 600 members each, listing accounts withvarying follower counts and prices set by audience size and other details.

Inside the Trade

One seller active in one of these groups, Hamed Ali,described to Shafaq News how the accounts are built. The process begins withvideos on subjects that draw wide attention and high view counts: accidents,fires, brawls, and murder cases, which pull in viewers and followers."Once the account reaches a suitable number, I put it up for sale."

Building an account takes months of consistent posting, soAli creates and manages several at once. Some owners of failed or abandonedprojects also sell their accounts instead of closing them for good, he added.

Buyers receive guarantees, according to Ali, who describedan account as reliable and safe from shutdown when the buyer deals withtrustworthy people, but he didn’t specify any formal or legal form ofguarantee.

For young people and teenagers, he pointed out, the tradeoffers moderate but quick profit with no effort beyond a phone. “Prices only goup, and an account is ready for sale at a minimum of 10,000 followers, sellingfor $25 to $30. Accounts at that price point are the fastest to sell.”

Technical Risks

Firas Faqouri, a technology specialist, told Shafaq Newsthat buying and selling accounts is a losing proposition in many cases. TikTokand Instagram bar account sales and ownership transfers, he noted, because eachaccount is tied to its own data and algorithms.

Once an account passes to a new owner, a change in contentstyle can alter posting patterns and the target audience, he explained,affecting engagement and reach and potentially leading to weaker performance oraction by the platform, depending on its policies.

Security is another concern, Faqouri cautioned. A buyer maylose the account if the seller cannot be trusted, since in some cases theprevious owner can recover it through recovery details linked to them, evenafter the email address and password have been changed. “The buyer can end uplosing both the account and the money paid.” 

Read more: CBI: Social media influencers are financial crime threat

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Korek Telecom said on Monday that a Baghdad court had overturned a decision by Iraq’s Communications and Media Commission (CMC) to cancel a 2025 financial settlement agreement between the two sides.

In a statement, the company said the Al-Rusafa Court of First Instance ruled on September 28 to annul the CMC’s June 2 decision terminating the settlement signed on September 23, 2025.

According to Korek, the court ruled that the settlement agreement remains in force. The company welcomed the decision and said it would take steps to maintain stable telecommunications services for subscribers.

Korek also called on the CMC to end their dispute and work with the company to develop Iraq’s telecommunications sector, while again describing previous regulatory measures against it as “arbitrary.”

The CMC had canceled the settlement in June, accusing Korek of failing to meet its contractual obligations despite being given several opportunities to comply. It later moved to restrict the company’s operations and assets and closed several Korek offices in Baghdad.

Korek rejected those measures and challenged the regulator’s authority to cancel the settlement.

The CMC had not immediately commented on Korek’s announcement of Monday’s ruling.