Iraq security sweep: Fatal incident, arrests, and ISIS operations
Shafaq News
Below is a summary of key security and crime-related incidents reported across Iraq on December 31, 2025.
- Fatal Gas Cylinder Explosion (Baghdad)
A young man was killed and his father injured when an oxygen cylinder used to inflate New Year balloons exploded in the Al-Kamaliya area of eastern Baghdad, a source told Shafaq News. The Interior Ministry later confirmed the incident, but reported no additional casualties.
- Sentences Over Training Camp Incident (Dhi Qar)
Iraq’s First Military Court handed down sentences against several officers and personnel over a training camp incident in Nasiriyah that caused heat-related collapses among more than 100 cadets, resulting in two deaths and multiple injuries amid negligence allegations.
- Terrorism Arrests (Baghdad)
Military Intelligence units arrested three terrorism suspects in northern Baghdad, referring them to judicial authorities under Article 4/1 of the Anti-Terrorism Law.
- Building Collapse Rescue (Baghdad)
Civil defense teams rescued four Syrian workers after an old two-storey café building collapsed in the Al-Adhamiya district without causing fatalities.
- Sorcery and Human Trafficking Case (Baghdad)
Police arrested two women in the Al-Jadida area accused of “sorcery and human trafficking” after luring girls under false marriage or job offers. A missing girl from Karbala was found in their custody following a monitored ambush.
- Immoral Content Arrest (Kirkuk)
National Security Service forces detained a man in central Kirkuk under a judicial warrant for producing and promoting “immoral content” on social media.
- Operations Against ISIS (Nationwide)
Deputy Commander of Iraq’s Joint Operations Command (JOC) Qais Al-Muhammadawi reported that Iraqi forces carried out 37 ground operations and 93 air strikes in 2025, killing more than 90 ISIS militants, including senior commander Abu Khadija.
