Iraqi security forces launched raids in Baghdad’s fortified Green Zone early Sunday to arrest officials, including MPs suspected of corruption, amid heavy deployment in the area.
The Green Zone houses the US embassy and other diplomatic missions, as well as international institutions and government offices. High-ranking officials and politicians also live there.
Video footage shared on local Telegram channels showed security forces in heavy vehicles such as tanks in the Green Zone, including a clip of them inside a compound and, in one instance, inside a house.
AFP correspondents reported heavy security deployment at the entrances of the Green Zone.
The large-scale raids, which included other neighborhoods in Baghdad as well, were aimed at arresting senior Iraqi officials and politicians.
A security official told AFP on condition of anonymity that a “raid targeted several politicians over financial corruption, per judicial orders,” adding that the operation involved anti-terrorism forces and the military.
Iraq’s new agency (INA) quoted a senior official as saying that “several suspects accused of corruption have been arrested based on confessions made” by oil ministry official Adnan al-Jumaili, who was arrested last month.
The senior official, whose identity INA did not reveal, added that the arrests “involved members of parliament whose immunity was removed,” as well as other officials.
Iraq’s new Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has vowed to fight corruption and mismanagement that have plagued Iraq for decades.
In a move to demonstrate commitment to fighting corruption, authorities seized more than $85 million earlier this month in a graft case against Jumaili, with some of the cash hidden underground.
No official government statement on the raids has been released as yet, and INA did not provide further details or names of officials reportedly arrested.
Beyond corruption
Another security official told AFP earlier the raids were carried out over corruption, as well as “funding factions and the smuggling of dollars and Iranian oil”, referring to Tehran-backed armed groups.
Zaidi, who only recently took office with the blessing of the United States, is visiting Washington later this month.
A diplomat in Baghdad told AFP that the security operation “is part of the Washington visit preparations” to show Zaidi’s commitment to his promises.
The raids also coincided with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi’s visit to Baghdad.
Zaidi has also vowed to ensure a state monopoly on weapons amid growing US pressure to dismantle Tehran-backed groups, which Washington designates as terrorist organizations.
During the recent Middle East war, those groups intervened in support of Tehran and hit US facilities in Iraq, including an ambush on US diplomats in Baghdad. They also hit targets in Gulf countries.
He hopes to attract more US investment to Iraq, which urgently needs to revive its economy, especially after significant revenue losses caused by the halt in oil exports during the Middle East war.