Iraq cancels order targeting unofficial border crossings

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iraqi government revoked a directive ordering accountability measures against officials responsible for the country's unofficial 47 border crossings just four days after issuing it, a lawmaker told Shafaq News on Thursday.

MP Haider Al-Mutairi of the Ishraqat Kanoun bloc pointed to the existence of dozens of crossings that “harm the interests of the country and its people,” with many reportedly serving as channels for smuggling operations.

The reason for canceling the directive, he added, remains unclear, vowing to follow up on the matter to determine the grounds behind the decision.

Iraq maintains 22 official land and maritime border crossings along its frontiers with six neighboring countries, in addition to air crossings represented by international airports.

Smuggling networks have expanded across Iraq in recent years, with a 2025 report by the Iraqi Strategic Center for Human Rights documenting the dismantling of 230 drug trafficking networks, including 27 with international links. Authorities detained 43,000 individuals over the past three years and seized more than 28 tons of narcotics and millions of illicit pills. Security forces have also carried out repeated operations targeting weapons transfers to ISIS and illicit oil flows through ports and border areas.