Iraq security brief: Counterterror raids net ISIS operatives, Border forces foil narcotics smuggling

Shafaq News

Below is a summary of key security and public safety incidents reported across Iraq on December 28.

- Counter-Terrorism Service Arrests ISIS Suspects (Kirkuk / Al-Anbar / Nineveh)

Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service arrested five suspected ISIS members in coordinated operations across Kirkuk, Al-Anbar, and Nineveh, targeting logistics facilitators and operatives linked to the group’s remnants.

- Border Forces Foil Drug Smuggling via Hot-Air Balloon (Al-Anbar)

Iraqi border forces intercepted more than 30 kilograms of narcotics smuggled from Syria into western Iraq’s Al-Anbar using a hot-air balloon.

- Court Sentences Former Baath Commander to Death (Baghdad)

Iraq’s High Criminal Court sentenced former Baath-era security commander Shaker Ghafour Al-Douri to death after convicting him of involvement in mass executions of Kurdish Barzani civilians, whose remains were later found in mass graves.

- Three Arrested Over Rape Case (Baghdad)

Security forces arrested three young men in Baghdad’s Al-Shaab area, accused of kidnapping and raping a girl who had fled her family due to domestic disputes.

- Landmine Blast Injures Two During Snow Clearing (Duhok)

A landmine explosion wounded two people after detonating beneath a snow-clearing vehicle in the Zakho administration north of Duhok, damaging the loader and prompting an investigation into the origin of the device.

- Intelligence Service Breaks Currency-Smuggling Ring (Najaf)

Iraq’s Intelligence Service dismantled a currency-smuggling and money-laundering network at Najaf International Airport, arresting three suspects and seizing about 50 million dinars prepared for illegal transfer abroad.

- Police Rescue Minor Lured From Basra (Diyala)

Diyala Police rescued a 14-year-old girl lured from Basra under false marriage promises, arresting those involved after locating her at a house in the province and launching legal proceedings.