Shafaq News- Saladin

Local authorities in Tikrit of Saladin province, have launched a campaign in coordination with Iraqi security forces to shut down alcohol shops across the city center.

The Tikrit district administration indicated that the campaign, which began on May 12, includes obtaining written pledges from shop owners and removing alcoholic beverages from stores as part of measures aimed at enforcing existing regulations and ensuring compliance.

Tikrit’s local government imposed a ban on alcohol sales inside the city in 2018, citing what officials at the time described as a lack of social acceptance among residents.

At the national level, Iraq banned the production and sale of alcoholic beverages in social clubs in November 2024. Since 2020, the Interior Ministry has also carried out campaigns targeting nightclubs, entertainment venues, and alcohol shops in Baghdad.

Read more: Iraq’s alcohol ban: How enforcement outpaced social policy