Shafaq News- Najaf

The Najaf Criminal Court sentenced aconvicted drug trafficker to death after authorities seized 2.5 kilograms ofcrystal methamphetamine he was trying to bring into the province, a securitysource told Shafaq News on Thursday.

The court handed down the sentenceunder Article 27 of Iraq's Anti-Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Law No.50 of 2017.

Since the start of 2026, Iraqicourts have issued 42 death sentences and 357 life imprisonment rulings againstconvicted drug traffickers, while security forces have seized more than 1.697tons of narcotics, according to the Interior Ministry's Directorate forNarcotics and Psychotropic Substances.

Read more: From cell to center: Iraq tests a new answer to addiction

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi security forces arrested 12 suspected drug dealers in Baghdad during aseries of intelligence-led operations, the Military Intelligence Directoratereported on Wednesday.

According to a statement, forces set up surprise checkpoints across the capital over the past week,leading to the detention of the suspects and the seizure of various narcoticsubstances.

Drug trafficking has surged across Iraq in recent years, with the InteriorMinistry warning that the country is increasingly becoming both a consumermarket and a transit corridor for regional smuggling networks. Earlier thismonth, Iraq’s Directorate of Narcotics Control in Maysan province dismantled aninternational drug trafficking network operated by two foreign nationals insouthern Iraq.

Since the beginning of 2026, Iraq has seized more than 1.697 tons ofnarcotics, while courts have handed down 42 death sentences and 357 lifeimprisonment rulings against convicted traffickers.

Read more: From cell to center: Iraq tests a new answer to addiction

Shafaq News- Maysan

On Tuesday, Iraq’s Directorate of Narcotics Control inMaysan province dismantled an international drug trafficking network operatedby two foreign nationals in southern Iraq.

In a statement, the directorate said the intelligence-ledoperation resulted in the breakup of a criminal network specializing in thesmuggling and transportation of crystal methamphetamine into Iraq.

The two suspects, both foreign nationals, were arrested inthe act and found in possession of one kilogram of crystal meth. Thedirectorate did not disclose the nationalities of the suspects or providefurther details regarding the origin or intended destination of the seizeddrugs.

Read more: Iraq fights back against synthetic drug flood engulfing the Middle East

Shafaq News- Al-Sulaymaniyah/ Saladin/ Al-Anbar

Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) arrested threesuspected ISIS members in operations across Al-Sulaymaniyah, Saladin, andAl-Anbar provinces, the CTS announced on Tuesday.

The agency did not provide further details on the operationsor the identity of the suspects.

On June 15, Iraqi security forces detained a “dangeroussuspect” wanted on terrorism charges in Saladin province, a security sourcetold Shafaq News.

Read more: On ISIS defeat anniversary, Iraq confronts a reawakening insurgency

Shafaq News- Saladin

Iraqi security forces captured a “dangerous suspect” wantedon terrorism charges in Tuz Khurmatu district of Saladin province, a securitysource told Shafaq News on Monday.

The identity of the detainee was not disclosed.

Since the start of 2026, Iraq's National Security Servicehas detained at least 20 individuals on terrorism charges across severalprovinces.

Read more: On ISIS defeat anniversary, Iraq confronts a reawakening insurgency

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Diyala

Four suicide cases were reported within hours on Monday in Baghdadand Diyala, according to security sources.

In Diyala, three people took their own lives in separate incidentsin Baqubah. The cases involved a Health Department employee in his forties whodied after hanging himself, a university student who was found dead at herhome, and a man in his thirties who suffered from mental health issues.

In the Iraqi capital, a man born in 1970 died after hanging himselfat his home.

Preliminary information and initial investigations pointed topsychological problems as a common factor in the four cases.

According to a 2025 report by Iraq’s Ministry of Labour and SocialAffairs, the country records an average of 55 to 70 suicides per month, withcases rising from roughly 1,100 in 2022 to about 1,300 in 2023 and nearing1,500 in 2024.

Read more: When life feels closed from all sides: Iraq’srising suicide cases

Shafaq News- Tehran

The process of reopening the Strait of Hormuz will beginafter Iran and the United States sign a memorandum of understanding scheduledfor next Friday, Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported on Monday, citing aninformed source.

The disagreements over several provisions continued untilthe final moments before the agreement was announced, the source revealed,adding that US President Donald Trump had insisted on reopening the Strait andlifting sanctions on Iran simultaneously and immediately upon announcing theunderstanding. Tehran rejected that proposal, the source said.

“Trump later revised his first post about the agreement, asan Iranian notification delivered through a Pakistani mediator.”

According to the source, the first clause was revised toinclude the phrase “guaranteeing sovereignty and respecting Lebanon’sterritorial integrity” after Iran objected to the previous wording, noting thata provision was also added to the fifth clause assigning Iran and Omanresponsibility for “managing maritime navigation services in the Strait ofHormuz.”

The agreement also stipulates that vessels transiting thestrait will be exempt from passage fees for 60 days, after which Iran willbegin collecting transit charges, the source said.

Earlier in the day, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister KazemGharibabadi said the text of a memorandum of understanding between Iran and theUnited States had been finalized.

Speaking to Iranian state television, Gharibabadi observedthat two immediate agreements would enter into force from dawn on Monday. “The negotiationprocess had taken a long time and was conducted through mediation by Pakistanand Qatar,” he stated, adding that aQatari delegation arrived in Iran on Sunday and held talks that lasted about 15hours.

Shafaq News- Mosul

The Iraqi Interior Ministry has drawn up concreteplans to assume control of internal security in Nineveh province, northernIraq, Senior Undersecretary Hussein al-Awadi announced Monday at a joint pressconference with the provincial Governor Abdul-Qadir al-Dakhil in Mosul.

Al-Awadi said coordination between the ministry andlocal authorities had produced “measurable security improvements,” and thatinstitutional alignment was reinforcing stability across the province.

Nineveh, with its capital Mosul, was a key strongholdfor ISIS, which seized the city in 2014 and made it the de facto capital of itsself-declared caliphate in Iraq. Iraqi forces, supported by the US-ledCoalition, retook Mosul in a grueling military campaign that ended in 2017.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Three ISIS militants were killed in a preliminary toll during an ongoing operation by Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) south of Kirkuk, a security source told Shafaq News on Sunday.

The source said CTS forces launched a large-scale raid and search operation at dawn in the Yarghun area near Taza Khurmatu, acting on intelligence indicating the presence of ISIS cells in the area. The force came under heavy fire while carrying out the operation, leading to clashes that resulted in the deaths of three militants.

Security forces continue to comb the area and secure the perimeter in pursuit of other suspected militants, while Iraqi Army aircraft provide air cover for the operation, the source added.

Shafaq News- Baghdad/ Damascus

Iraqi authorities on Sunday announced the dismantling of an international drug trafficking network in Syria following a joint operation with Syrian security forces.

In a statement, Iraq's General Directorate for Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Affairs said the operation was carried out in coordination with Syria's anti-narcotics authorities and was based on precise intelligence. The operation involved a series of coordinated raids in the Syrian provinces of Deir ez-Zor and Homs over several days.

According to the directorate, security forces arrested nine major drug traffickers and seized 200 kilograms of narcotics that were allegedly destined for smuggling into Iraq.

Iraq shares a 600-kilometer border with Syria, where, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), over 80% of the world’s Captagon supply is produced. UNODC figures show Iraq seized more than 24 million Captagon tablets in 2023 alone, an increase of 3,300% since 2019. The pills, which contain amphetamine-based stimulants, are often trafficked from southern Syria through western Iraqi provinces such as Al-Anbar and Nineveh, before being smuggled toward Gulf markets.

The country's anti-narcotics forces seized around 1.6 million tons of illicit substances during the first five months of 2026 and conducted 12 cross-border operations targeting trafficking networks.

Shafaq News- Damascus

An Iraqi oil tanker came under armed attack on Saturday while traveling along the Aleppo-Manbij highway in northern Syria, causing material damage to the vehicle, a source told Shafaq News.

Iraqi and Syrian authorities have not yet provided official information about the identity or motives of the attackers.

Following the incident, tribal and community figures in Manbij issued a joint statement condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with Iraq and the tanker driver. The statement stressed that the attack “does not represent the people of Manbij or reflect the historical ties between the Syrian and Iraqi peoples.”

It also called for those responsible to be identified and held accountable, while urging stronger measures to protect transport and trade routes between the two countries.

Iraq started overland exports of fuel oil to Syria last April following the disruption of exports through the Strait of Hormuz.

Shafaq News- Kirkuk

Iraq’s Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) launched on Sunday a raid-and-search operation against ISIS in the Yarghun area of Taza Kharmatu, south of Kirkuk province.

A source told Shafaq News that the operation was initiated at dawn based on intelligence indicating the presence of ISIS elements in Yarghun, a locality within the Bashir sub-district of Taza Khurmatu, situated roughly 55 kilometers south of Kirkuk city. The raiding force came under fire shortly after entering the area, sparking a sustained exchange of gunfire that continued as of the time of reporting, with army aviation providing aerial cover and a heavy security presence on the ground.

Read more: Discover Iraq: Kirkuk, a city of oil, culture, and conflict

Ground forces are also sweeping the area to track militants and cut off escape routes.

No casualty figures have been released so far.

Kirkuk is a disputed, oil-rich province claimed by both the Iraqi government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and forms part of what security officials refer to locally as the triangle of death —a volatile belt stretching across Kirkuk, Saladin, and Diyala provinces that has long served as an operational corridor for ISIS remnants. Its southern districts, particularly valleys and remote agricultural zones, continue to function as transit routes and hideouts for militant cells.

Last month, Iraqi forces killed several militants and destroyed a network of hideouts used as shelters and logistical support centers during a joint security operation in Kirkuk.

Since the start of 2026, Iraq's National Security Service has arrested at least 20 suspects on terrorism charges across several provinces.

Shafaq News- Al-Anbar

Iraqi military intelligence forces arrested on Saturday a senior ISIS operative responsible for distributing financial support to the group's members and their families in western Iraq.

According to the Military Intelligence Directorate, the suspect, known as Abu Musab, was detained in a preemptive operation in Al-Qaim district, west of the province. He was responsible for distributing so-called "allowances" to militants and their families across the area formerly known by the group as Wilayat Al-Furat.

Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in 2017, it remains active through scattered cells in the desert and rural areas, particularly in Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and al-Anbar. Earlier this week, Iraqi forces killed two ISIS members, including a senior figure in the group, in two airstrikes in Diyala province.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq'sNational Security Service (INSS) revealed on Friday that it had foiled aserious criminal plot to assassinate the agency's chief, its officialspokesperson, Baghdad's security director, and several other officers.

The INSS stated that the plan was orchestrated by a celllinked to the so-called Iraqi National Gathering for Liberation and Change,which it identified as one of the fronts of the banned Baath Party.

Investigations and interrogations showed that members of thecell had moved beyond incitement and threats to the stage of assigning tasks,selecting targets, and preparing weapons for the planned attacks. The agency said a forthcoming report would present parts ofthe suspects' confessions, details of the assignments, and the planningstages that preceded the disruption of the plot.

Read more:Iraq’s Elections under the Shadow of De-Baathification

Shafaq News- Maysan

Iraqi security forces killed two of the country's "most wanted" drug traffickers during an armed confrontation in Maysan province on Friday.

The Iraqi National Security Service said the suspects were killed after opening fire on a tactical unit carrying out an operation based on intelligence gathered by its Baghdad and provincial security directorates.

Agency spokesman Arshad Al-Hakim said one of the dead, known as Abu Fatim, was considered the country's main trafficker of crystal methamphetamine.

Earlier this month, Iraqi police dismantled an international criminal network composed of three foreigners in the province, accused of smuggling and transporting crystal methamphetamine into Iraq.

Read more: Iraq fights back against synthetic drug flood engulfing the Middle East

Shafaq News-Baghdad (Updated on Saturday at 12:01 p.m.)

Iraq'ssecurity forces are waging "an open war" overseen by the GeneralDirectorate for Narcotics Affairs and Psychotropic Substances at the InteriorMinistry against narcotics networks in 2026, with operations across the countryproducing tens of thousands of arrests and dozens of tons of seized controlledsubstances, the body's Media and Public Relations Director Col. Abbasal-Bahadli told Shafaq News.

SecurityOperations

Thedirectorate was once composed of small units attached to police andintelligence services; it has since been expanded into a standalone generaldirectorate with a direct ministerial reporting line and a provincial fieldpresence. Operational doctrine has shifted in parallel, from containment toconfrontation and preemption.

Thousands ofnetworks have been dismantled in recent years, and the country's “mostsignificant traffickers” have been arrested. Since 2023, Iraqi forces haveconducted approximately 65 operations beyond Iraqi territory, coordinated withregional and international partners, targeting local dealers, majortraffickers, and cross-border smuggling rings before shipments reach Iraqisoil.

"Theexternal operations are the ministry's broader strategy to block narcotics attheir source," Al-Bahadli added.

Smugglingmethods have also grown more sophisticated, such as using airborne balloons toferry consignments across the border —a technique documented in a recentoperation in western al-Anbar province, where authorities intercepted more than198,000 narcotic tablets.

Read more: The Smuggler's Almanac: Iraq's war against narco-innovation

Rehabilitationand Social Dimensions

Sixteenrehabilitation centers are now operating across Iraq, offering psychological,medical, and social treatment for addicts, including three in Baghdad. Morethan 7,270 individuals have completed treatment and reintegrated into societysince 2023. Al-Bahadli said that a policy change separating addicts fromtraffickers within the custodial system —previously housed together in thegeneral prison population— has also taken effect.

Pricemovements in the narcotics market point to supply disruption. Crystalmethamphetamine has risen from approximately 10,000 dinars ($7.63) per gram toaround 200,000 dinars ($152.6), a shift tied to sustained security pressure ondistribution networks.

"Youthare the primary target demographic of narcotics networks," al-Bahadliwarned, identifying individuals between 16 and 40 as most at risk anddescribing the pattern as a deliberate effort to drain the country of itsproductive human capital.

Read more: From cell to center: Iraq tests a new answer to addiction

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi forces on Thursday killed two ISIS members, includinga senior figure in the group, in two airstrikes in Diyala province.

The Joint Operations Command said the operation was carriedout based on precise intelligence provided by the Military Intelligence Directorateregarding the presence of an ISIS cell in an area south of the Bahrez district inDiyala province, east of Baghdad.

The operation was coordinated between the targeting cell ofthe Joint Operations Command and the Military Intelligence Directorate. Iraqisecurity forces said they developed an intensive aerial surveillance andreconnaissance plan that lasted several days. “Simultaneously with the strikes,a ground force moved to the site to conduct search operations and clear thearea.”

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Saif Al-Suwaiti, who was arrested in Baghdad alongsidemore than 300 rockets and drones, was already subject to a death sentence andmultiple arrest warrants, an Iraqi security source told Shafaq News onThursday.

Security forces seized the weapons during a raid on ahouse in Baghdad’s al-Kamaliyah district, where Al-Suwaiti had been hiding.According to the source, he had received a death sentence issued in absentia in2022 under Article 406 of Iraq’s Penal Code, a separate life sentence under thesame article, two active murder-related arrest warrants, a warrant linked tothe possession of explosive materials, and another under Articles 28 and 32 ofIraq’s Anti-Narcotics Law.

Al-Suwaiti, the source added, was involved in theseizure of land and property belonging to Sunni and Christian citizens, led anarmed outlaw group, supplied its members with military-grade weapons and handgrenades, and engaged in extortion and intimidation.

He also faces accusations of involvement in thekillings of Police Lieutenant Haider and Khudair Shaheen, as well as arson andother criminal activities.

All allegations remain subject to judicialproceedings.

Shafaq News- Nineveh

A Nineveh court on Thursday ordered the release of Iraqi content creator Abu Janna on bail, nearly two weeks after his detention over an investigation into the source of funds and gifts featured in his social media videos.

Mohammed al-Karraf, Abu Janna's lawyer, told Shafaq News that investigators and judicial authorities found no evidence supporting suspicions of money laundering, which had been a key focus of the inquiry.

Al-Karraf said the case has since shifted to allegations of fraud under Article 456 of Iraq's Penal Code, an offense classified as a misdemeanor.

Abu Janna was detained on May 31 after authorities launched an investigation into the origins of the money, vehicles, and gifts he regularly distributed in videos posted on social media platforms. At the time, security officials said the investigation focused on the source of the funds rather than the content of the videos themselves.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Baghdad Operations Command arrested on Thursday awanted man on murder and robbery charges, with a large cache of unlicensedweapons, ammunition, and two drones seized during the operation.

The command did not specify the types of weaponsseized, however, a security source who spoke separately to Shafaq News said thesuspect was also found with more than 300 rockets and faces in absentiaconvictions, including one for the killing of a commissioner in the BaghdadAnti-Crime Directorate.

ShafaqNews- Baghdad

TheBaghdad/Karkh Criminal Court has sentenced an ISIS member to life in prison forspreading extremist content and promoting terrorist ideology on social mediaplatforms, the Supreme Judicial Council announced Thursday.

Thesentence was handed down under Iraq's Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005, aswell as Article 132/1 of the Penal Code.

Earliertoday, the Iraqi forces arrested an ISIS security commander in Tarmiya, northof Baghdad. The suspect operated within the group's so-called “WilayatAl-Anbar” (Al-Anbar Province) and was involved in attacks targeting securitypersonnel and civilians. He later moved to Baghdad and continued working withISIS.

Read more: On ISIS defeat anniversary, Iraq confronts a reawakening insurgency

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi forces arrested an ISIS security commander in Tarmiya,north of Baghdad, during an intelligence-led operation, Iraq’sCounter-Terrorism Service (CTS) announced on Thursday.

The suspect operated within the group's so-called“Wilayat Al-Anbar” (Al-Anbar Province) and was involved in attacks targetingsecurity personnel and civilians. He later moved to Baghdad and continuedworking with ISIS.

CTS did not disclose his identity or provide furtherdetails about the operation.

Although ISIS lost territorial control in Iraq in2017, it remains active through scattered cells in the desert and rural areas,particularly in Diyala, Kirkuk, Saladin, and Al-Anbar. In mid-April, theInterior Ministry reported the dismantling of four ISIS-linked networks in2026, warning of growing recruitment efforts through social media and onlinegaming platforms.

Read more: On ISIS defeat anniversary, Iraq confronts a reawakening insurgency

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The US Embassy in Baghdad issued a security alert onWednesday, urging all American citizens present in Iraq to depart the countryimmediately in light of recent regional developments.

The embassy noted that Iraq remains under a Level 4travel advisory, the highest warning level issued by Washington, which advisesagainst travel to the country.

US War Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the United Stateswould launch new strikes on Iran, declaring that US Central Command would be"busy tonight" after President Donald Trump vowed to hit Tehran"hard" unless it agreed to a deal with Washington.

Trump also convened his national security team to discussthe next phase of the US response. According to two US sources cited by Axios,one option under consideration is a military operation that would be “big inscale but short in duration,” aimed at increasing pressure on Tehran “to changeits position in the negotiations.”

Air defense systems were activated in Fars and westernTehran, according to Mehr News Agency, which reported no explosions at thatlocation.

Israel's Channel 12 reported that the Israeli militaryraised its alert level in preparation for a possible resumption of hostilitieswith Iran.

Shafaq News- Mosul

Wounded Iraqi army veterans staged a demonstration outside the MosulMunicipality building in Nineveh Province on Wednesday, demanding thedistribution of residential plots formally allocated to them years ago.

The protesters told Shafaq News that their land files have been lodgedwith the relevant authorities since 2019 and that they hold official receipts,correspondence, and documents confirming their eligibility, yet no distributionhas taken place.

The demonstrators acknowledged that the Ministry of Defense, the ArmyChief of Staff, and the federal government have expressed support for theirdemands; however, the procedural steps required to complete the distributionremain blocked, and nobody has been specified as responsible for the delay.

Other categories of beneficiaries, including personnel from unnamedcivilian branches, received land allocations in previous years, the protesterssaid. Army and police personnel have received none of the plots designated forthem.

The demonstrators called on Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to intervene andresolve the matter, and they will continue their demonstrations until theyreceive a practical resolution to their land issues.

Nineveh, in northern Iraq, was among the provinces most heavily affectedby the Islamic State conflict between 2014 and 2017, a period during whichIraqi security forces sustained significant casualties.

Iraq's government has long committed to providing residential land plotsto wounded military and police personnel as part of a broader security forcesentitlement framework, with allocations processed through the Ministry ofDefense, the Army Chief of Staff, and local province authorities. Last week, theNational Intelligence Service announced the distribution of more than 700residential plots to its personnel in Baghdad —the fourth such batch under thegovernment program.

Read more: Iraq’s land distribution plan faces legacy of unfinished projects

Shafaq News- Babil

At least two unidentified drones were observed flying overIraq’s southern Babil province, Shafaq News learned on Wednesday.

The drones flew at low altitude across the southern parts ofthe province before heading west toward the desert between Najaf and Karbala.Their origin and destination were not immediately known. No further detailswere immediately available on their activity.