Iraq security raids target covert Baathist network

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) infiltrated a banned Baathist network operating through social media platforms, arresting several of its members in coordinated raids across multiple provinces, the agency announced on Friday.

In a statement, the agency said operations also resulted in the seizure of electronic devices, documents, and communication equipment, revealing that “the network had been operating secretly through online platforms, private groups, and live broadcasts.”

During one of the group’s online streams involving its leaders and members, National Security Service spokesperson Arshad Al-Hakim appeared on the broadcast and announced that it had come under the agency’s control, the statement noted.

Earlier this week, Iraq’s Supreme Judicial Council sentenced four individuals to six years in prison for affiliation with and promotion of the banned Baath Party after authorities found material supporting Baathist ideology on their mobile phones. The case was linked to activities recorded in Kirkuk during 2025 and 2026.

The Baath Party, which ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein until the US-led invasion in 2003, was officially outlawed under the 2005 Iraqi Constitution. Iraqi law criminalizes any form of promotion or glorification of the party.