Shafaq News- Dhi Qar

The Dhi Qar Criminal Court sentenced four people convictedof drug trafficking on Monday, an informed source told Shafaq News.

The source said two defendants received five-year prisonterms, one was sentenced to six years, and the main distributor received aseven-year sentence.

Last week, anti-narcotics forces in Wasit province seized 12kilograms of opium and arrested an Asian national, according to the InteriorMinistry. In Basra, authorities separately destroyed about 85 kilograms ofdrugs, 65,000 psychotropic pills and other seized substances after completinglegal procedures.

Read more: Iraq's war against narco-innovation

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Four Baghdad public employees were caught taking bribes in threeseparate stings, Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission said on Monday.

At the Abu Ghraib municipality, the head of the unit responsible forillegal construction was arrested while accepting money in exchange for notremoving an encroachment on state land.

Two employees at the Al-Sadr City municipality were arrested aftertaking a payment from a bakery owner, whom they had agreed to help by removingconcrete barriers outside his shop.

The fourth, an employee of the Rusafa enforcement office, which carriesout court rulings, was caught demanding a bribe to carry out an inspectionbefore a property eviction, according to the commission.

Judges at Baghdad's Rusafa and Karkh courts ordered all four to be heldunder Iraq's anti-bribery law.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings

Shafaq News-Basra

An Iraqicourt sentenced activist Alaa Al-Bakhatri to six months in prison over allegedprotests and attacks targeting the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra following thekilling of an Iraqi fisherman by Kuwaiti Coast Guard fire, an informed sourcetold Shafaq News on Monday.

Al-Bakhatrihad been detained for more than two months before the ruling, the source said,without specifying his alleged role in the unrest or the charges on which hewas convicted.

The protestserupted after a Kuwaiti Coast Guard patrol opened fire on an Iraqi fishing boatnear the maritime border on July 3, killing fisherman Najm Abdullah Khalid andwounding Thaer Mohammed Salman, sparking protests that demanded greaterprotection for Iraqi fishermen operating in the northern Gulf. Iraq's ForeignMinistry later stated that the Kuwaiti Coast Guard had not intentionally causedthe casualties.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

An Iraqi court sentenced twoemployees of the Sunni Endowment Office to four years in prison each for forging official approvals attributed to the agency’s former head, the FederalCommission of Integrity announced on Monday.

The Al-Karkh Criminal Courtconvicted the employees of forging four approvals to lease several properties,imposing a one-year prison term for each document.

The court issued the verdict underArticles 289 and 298 of Iraq’s Penal Code No. 111 of 1969.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi border forces detained 21 Asian nationals on Sunday after they allegedly attempted to cross the border illegally in Wasit, Al-Sulaymaniyah, and Duhok provinces, the Border Forces Command said.

The command said formal records were prepared and legal procedures were initiated against the detainees. It did not specify their individual nationalities, the crossing points involved, or how many were detained in each province.

On October 9, Iraqi border forces detained another 13 Asian nationals after alleged illegal crossing attempts in Duhok and Wasit.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) estimates that Iraq hosts about 370,000 migrant workers, many from neighboring countries and South and Southeast Asia, working mainly in construction, domestic work, and hospitality.

Shafaq News- Maysan

Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) on Sunday arrested five employees at Majar al-Kabir municipality in Maysan province over allegations that they manipulated municipal land valuations in exchange for payments, a security source told Shafaq News.

The source said the employees specialized in assessing municipal land prices and were arrested on warrants issued under Article 341 of Iraq’s Penal Code.

According to the Supreme Judicial Council, the article applies when a public official causes substantial damage through gross negligence, abuse of authority, or a serious breach of official duties.

On October 8, the INSS detained the head of the legal department at the same municipality. A security source said officers found dozens of official seals and files related to land-plot distribution in his possession and that he was also wanted under Article 341. The source did not say whether the two cases were connected.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi F-16 fighter jets carried out two airstrikes that destroyed an ISIS hideout in the Narin area of Diyala province on Sunday, the Security Media Cell said.

The operation followed intensive surveillance of ISIS remnants and was based on “precise and confirmed” intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorate.

The strikes were coordinated with the Aerial Reconnaissance and Surveillance Center in the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the cell added.

Earlier, a security source told Shafaq News that Iraqi Air Force aircraft had targeted a hideout used by ISIS militants near the Narin River in the Lake Hamrin area of Khanaqin district.

The Security Media Cell did not report any casualties from the strikes.

Read more: ISIS hits Iraqi night surveillance twice in 24 hours

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi Civil Defense teams evacuated more than 60 patients and medical staff from Al-Andalus Private Hospital in central Baghdad on Sunday after a fire broke out on the second floor, with no injuries reported.

The fire started inside a room at the hospital on Al-Saadoun Street and was brought fully under control, the Civil Defense Directorate said.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Federal Intelligence and Investigation Agencyarrested four people, including two women, suspected of operating a loan schemethat pressured low-income borrowers to sell their kidneys, the InteriorMinistry said on Sunday.

The ministry said the suspects allegedly targetedfinancially vulnerable citizens with high-interest loans and cash advances,then imposed difficult repayment terms and used mounting debts to pressure theminto selling organs, particularly kidneys.

The operation was carried out by organized-crime units inBaghdad’s Al-Rusafa district after judicial approval, according to theministry.

Investigators seized mobile phones and records documentingthe suspects’ lending activities and negotiations with victims.

Last week, Baghdad police arrested two men in a separatecase involving an alleged plan to sell a kidney for 14 million Iraqi dinars(about $9,200).

The Supreme Judicial Council also reported last week thatIraqi courts registered 183 human-trafficking cases in August, up from 167 inJuly.

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Tripoli

Iraqi intelligence helped Libyan authorities thwart anattempt to smuggle 1.2 million Captagon pills in Libya, while a Baghdad courtsentenced several men to life imprisonment for drug trafficking in a separatecase.

Iraq's Interior Ministry said the operation was carried outin coordination between the country’s General Directorate for Narcotics andPsychotropic Substances and Libya’s National Anti-Narcotics Agency, leading tothe arrest of a Libyan national as well.

The Directorate’s International Coordination andCooperation Department collected intelligence and shared it with Libyanauthorities, allowing the two sides to develop a joint plan and coordinate itsexecution before the traffickers could complete the operation.

Separately, Al-Karkh Criminal Court in Baghdad sentencedthree men to life imprisonment for drug trafficking, the Supreme JudicialCouncil said.

Security forces seized methamphetamine and cannabis fromthe defendants, who were convicted of possessing the substances with the intentto traffic them and distribute them among drug users, according to the Council.

Under Iraq’s Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law,anyone who illegally imports, produces, stores, trades in, or otherwise handlesnarcotic or psychotropic substances for trafficking purposes faces lifeimprisonment or a fixed-term prison sentence, along with a fine ranging from 10million Iraqi dinars (about $6,605) to 30 million Iraqi dinars (about $19,815).

Read more: Iraq dismantles 250 drug networks in 100 days

ShafaqNews- Baghdad

Iraqreceived 10,222 applications to register privately owned firearms betweenOctober 2 and October 9, as the government seeks to tighten controls on gunownership nationwide, Saad Maan, head of the Security Media Cell, said on Saturday.

TheDirectorate of Weapons Control and Regulation operates 449 offices across Iraqto simplify registration procedures and help citizens complete theirapplications, Maan said in a statement, crediting the Directorate’s effortswith advancing the process.

Praisingcitizens for their cooperation, Maan described their response as a sign ofgrowing awareness. He also linked the registration drive to efforts tostrengthen community security, promote stability, and uphold the rule of law.

TheInterior Ministry launched an online registration form for privately ownedfirearms on January 27, 2024. The program covers all Iraqi provinces except theKurdistan Region.

InSeptember 2025, then-Interior Ministry spokesperson Colonel Abbas al-Bahadlitold Shafaq News that more than 125,000 firearm registration forms had beensubmitted nationwide. He attributed improvements in community security andefforts to curb tribal disputes to the initiative.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

Iraq's Federal Integrity Commission said on Saturday it arrested threeemployees at an electricity office in Mosul for demanding a bribe from aresident to cancel a purported fine.

The three, who work at the electricity office for western Mosul, toldthe man he had been fined for illegally tapping into the national grid, thendemanded money from him in exchange for canceling it, the commission said. Ateam from the Nineveh Investigation Directorate arrested thesuspects after the resident filed a complaint.

The commission said it prepared an official arrest report, and thesuspects appeared before the Nineveh investigative judge specializing inintegrity cases, who ordered their detention under Resolution No. 160 of 1983,as amended.

In August, the commission arrested a Mosul Municipality employee and histwo sons for extorting potential bidders in a public auction.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings

Shafaq News- Duhok/Wasit/ Kirkuk

Iraqi securityforces arrested 13 foreign nationals who allegedly attempted to cross theborder illegally in Duhok and Wasit provinces on Friday.

The Border GuardCommand said 10 Asian nationals were detained within Duhok’s administrativeboundaries, while three others from Asian countries were arrested during aseparate attempted crossing in Wasit.

Separately, theInterior Ministry said four foreign nationals were arrested in Kirkuk inconnection with a fatal stabbing at Baghdad’s central wholesale market. Thevictim was stabbed in the chest during an altercation on October 1 and diedfrom his injuries three days later.

According to theministry, security forces tracked the four suspects to the Qara Hanjir area inKirkuk and arrested them on the outskirts of the province while they allegedlyattempted to flee.

Shafaq News-Baghdad

Iraqi policearrested the father, brother and two relatives of a young man found with agunshot wound to the head inside a room on agricultural land southeast ofBaghdad, on suspicion of altering the scene.

A security sourcetold Shafaq News that the detainees admitted during questioning that the youngman had shot himself. They also admitted moving the weapon from his hand andaltering the scene to make others and security forces believe he had beenkilled.

Investigatorsrecorded their statements and seized the handgun used in the incident. The fourwere detained at the Nahrawan Anti-Crime Department pending further legalprocedures.

Read more: When life feels closed from all sides: Iraq’s rising suicide cases

Shafaq News- Saladin

The Saladin Investigation Court, which handles integritycases, has arrested the director general of the Saladin Investment Commissionin connection with the alleged waste of public funds on an investment projectin the province.

The investigating judge said the suspect’s statement hadbeen recorded and legal proceedings had been initiated against him. The courtordered his detention under Article 340 of the Iraqi Penal Code.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

A court in Nineveh sentenced the province's former youth and sportsdirector to five years and one month in prison for deliberately harming publicfunds, Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity said on Thursday.

The Nineveh Criminal Court convicted him of deliberately damaging thefunds and interests of the Umm al-Rabiain Chess Club, which he headed,according to the commission. Umm al-Rabiain is a traditional name for Mosul,the provincial capital.

The commission said he handled money linked to a property owned by theYouth and Sports Ministry and signed a contract without the authority to do soor the ministry's approval, leading to a waste of public funds.

The verdict, issued in his presence, was based on Article 340 of Iraq'sPenal Code, which covers deliberate harm to public funds or state interests bypublic officials. 

Shafaq News- Wasit/ Basra

Anti-narcotics forces in Iraq's Wasit province seized 12 kilograms ofopium and arrested an Asian national after tracking the shipment from asmuggling network in a neighboring country, the Interior Ministry's GeneralDirectorate of Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs said on Thursday.

The directorate's Wasit units infiltrated the network abroad andfollowed the shipment's route, monitoring the movements of one of its membersuntil he reached Iraqi territory, according to a statement. Once the shipmententered Iraq, the units set up an ambush and arrested the suspect with theopium in his possession.

The directorate did not name the neighboring country or give thesuspect's nationality beyond describing him as Asian. Legal proceedings havebegun against him, the statement said.

In the southern province of Basra, a central government committee fordestroying narcotics disposed of about 85 kilograms of various drugs and 65,000psychotropic pills, the Basra Health Directorate said. It also destroyed about1,350 units of tropicamide eye drops and about 1,350 milliliters of precursorchemicals.

The destruction took place in the al-Haddama area of Umm Qasr districtunder the supervision of the Supreme Judicial Council, after legal review ofthe related cases was completed, according to the directorate.

Since 2023 and until July 2026, the Iraqi authorities have confiscated16.8 tons of narcotics, secured 380 death sentences and 150 life sentences, andissued 190 international arrest warrants in drug-related cases. Baghdad hasalso established 16 rehabilitation centers for drug users, where about 9,500 peoplehave received treatment. More than 8,000 have completed their rehabilitationprograms.

Shafaq News- Erbil

Iraqi federal intelligence forces, working with security agencies in theKurdistan Region, arrested a man in Erbil wanted on terrorism charges, theFederal Intelligence and Investigation Agency said on Thursday.

Federal Police intelligence units located and detained the suspect in anoperation based on intelligence information, the agency said in a statement. Itdescribed him as a dangerous militant wanted under Article 4 of Iraq'sAnti-Terrorism Law for allegedly carrying out several attacks in the past.

Foreign currency, several passports and multiple bank cards were seizedfrom the suspect, according to the agency, which did not identify him or saywhich group he allegedly belonged to.

Article 4 of Iraq’s 2005 Anti-Terrorism Law provides for the deathpenalty for those convicted of committing or participating in terrorist acts.

Shafaq News- Wasit

Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity said on Thursday it had arresteda man suspected of defrauding residents of Wasit province by promising themgovernment jobs in exchange for money.

Investigators from the commission's Wasit office caught the suspect, whoworks for a media organization, after he allegedly took the first payment froma resident. According to the commission, he had promised the man that his wifewould be appointed to a government department and gave him an appointmentletter in her name that the commission said was forged.

The suspect then allegedly asked for a second payment to issue an orderfor the woman to start work. He was arrested with the money in his possessionand admitted receiving it, the commission said.

An investigating judge ordered him detained under Resolution No. 160 of1983, as amended. Wasit lies southeast of Baghdad.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Baghdad’s Al-Rusafa Police Command arrested a man accused of defraudingcitizens and collecting large sums of money through illegal means, the Commandsaid on Thursday.

Identified by the initials H.A., the suspect was located after acivilian police unit conducted field searches and gathered information abouthis whereabouts.

A source told Shafaq News that the man is Hussein Ali Al-Lami, theeldest son of the owner of the well-known Al-Lami restaurant in Baghdad’sAl-Jadiriya district.

The arrest came after dozens of people and traders protested outside therestaurant, demanding the recovery of billions of dinars they said they hadlost in dealings linked to Al-Lami.

The family has formally distanced itself from him since 2018 andpreviously warned the public against entering into financial transactionsinvolving their son.

Shafaq News- Maysan

Iraq's National Security Service (INSS) arrested the head of the legal department at the Majar al-Kabir municipality in Maysan province over alleged involvement in a case related to the allocation of land plots, a security source told Shafaq News on Thursday.

During the operation, security forces found dozens of official seals and files related to land distribution in the district.

No further details were immediately available regarding the alleged schemes.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s Federal Commission of Integrity (FCI) on Wednesday arrested three electricity employees in Karbala in a bribery case after two were allegedly caught accepting money to help a citizen avoid a fine of about $6,600.

FCI said staff from its Karbala Investigation Office set up a sting and caught the two employees accepting the bribe after they allegedly agreed with the citizen on a payment in exchange for manipulating an electricity meter at his home. The alleged conduct involved breaches of official duties and harm to public funds, it added.

During questioning, the two identified a third employee as a partner in the arrangement, and he was subsequently arrested.

Read more: Iraq's Dawn Crackdown moves from raids to rulings

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces arrested a Defense Ministry employee on Wednesday on suspicion of attempting to rape a woman with a disability in Baghdad, a security source told Shafaq News.

The woman, born in 2003, was attacked in the Sab' al-Bour area of the capital, the source said. Security forces detained the suspect at the scene, and he was placed in custody pending legal proceedings.

The source did not provide further details about the incident or the suspect’s role in the Defense Ministry.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Recent ISIS attacks on security forces in Kirkuk’sHawija district highlight the continuing threat posed by sleeper cells, AhmedRamzi Koperlu, head of the Provincial Council’s Security and Defense Committee,warned on Wednesday.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Koperlu said securityagencies must prevent militants from regrouping or using remote areas to targetsecurity personnel and civilians, calling for continued coordination andinformation sharing to track suspected militants and wanted individuals.

Iraqi forces have the ability to dismantle theremaining cells and disrupt their support networks, he noted, pledgingcontinued backing from the Provincial Council.

His remarks came after two consecutive days of ISISattacks in Al-Bargliya–Al-Danadish village, southwest of Kirkuk. On Tuesday,militants targeted the second battalion of the Popular Mobilization Forces’(PMF) 61st Brigade, while a sniper disabled a thermal surveillance camera at amilitary position, a security source told Shafaq News. No casualties wereimmediately reported, and security personnel subsequently searched the villageand surrounding areas.

An assault on the Federal Police’s 9th Brigade in thesame village on Monday also killed one police officer and wounded four others.

Read more: Iraq’s western desert from ISIS hideouts to new security challenges

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

ISIS claimed responsibility for an attack the previous daythat killed an Iraqi Federal Police officer and wounded others inAl-Bargliya–Al-Danadish village, southwest of Kirkuk, Reuters reported onTuesday.

The attack is the first reported assault by ISIS militantsagainst Iraqi security forces since US forces completed their withdrawal fromIraq on September 30.

ISIS militants struck the second battalion of the 61stBrigade of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) in Hawija district.

Meanwhile, Federal Police forces surrounded a group of ISISmilitants inside Al-Arisha School in the Al-Danadish area of Hawija district,southwest of Kirkuk province, a security source told Shafaq News, adding thatsecurity forces had cordoned off the school and were continuing operations todeal with the ISIS militants trapped inside.