Shafaq News

The following are key security developments reported across Iraq on Wednesday, covering terrorism, criminal investigations, and cross-border operations:

Terrorism

• A criminal court in Basra sentenced an Al-Qaeda operative to death for orchestrating a 2011 double suicide bombing in the Five Mile district that killed 19 and injured 47.

• In Dhi Qar, the head of the extremist sect “Al-Qurban” received a life sentence for inciting minors to commit suicide through psychological manipulation.

Child Exploitation

• Police in Amarah of Maysan Province rescued a 13-year-old girl from an alleged illicit residence. A couple was arrested in connection with the case.

Forgery

• A suspect was arrested in Baghdad’s al-Hurriya district carrying 35 blank Iraqi passports, believed to be linked to a forgery network.

Drugs

• Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari announced the dismantling of a cross-border drug trafficking network operating out of Syria.

Crime

• In Baghdad, military courts received the case of a soldier filmed insulting a civilian. The army described the behavior as personal and inconsistent with military values.

• In Amarah, unidentified gunmen killed a civilian near the city’s car dealership area before fleeing. A police search is underway.

• In Nineveh, police uncovered the murder of a woman initially reported as an electrical accident, arresting her brother and mother after forensic evidence revealed signs of torture and confirmed the killing stemmed from a family dispute.

• In Kirkuk, security forces captured one of the province’s most wanted fugitives, linked to multiple serious offenses including drug trafficking, theft, and attempted murder.