Shafaq News – Al-Anbar
Iraqi authorities have launched a security sweep in al-Anbar after Syrians were discovered carrying forged national ID papers, a senior provincial official said on Wednesday.
Open borders in the aftermath of the ISIS war brought large numbers of Syrians into the province, some of whom obtained fraudulent documents. Courts later prosecuted officials complicit in the scheme, including Brigadier General Ahmed al-Falahi, who was sentenced to two years in prison and dismissed from service.
The Head of al-Anbar’s security committee, Saad al-Mohammadi, told Shafaq News the campaign covers all districts, citing recent arrests such as a case in Ramadi where a Syrian was caught with a fake Iraqi citizenship certificate.
According to al-Mohammadi, the checks aim to regulate residency and curb further forgeries, noting that most violations involved attempts to relocate rather than links to militant activity.
Political scrutiny has intensified since lawmaker Alaa al-Haidari revealed the arrest of 11 officers and staff in al-Qaim over fraudulent ID issuance. Media reports suggest as many as 30 Syrians may have obtained nationality through bribery.