Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq's National Security Service (INSS) announced Thursday it had dismantled an organized cell linked to the banned Baath Party operating in western Baghdad, following a months-long intelligence operation.

The agency's spokesman said in a statement that the operation exposed the cell's organizational structure, which began its activity under civilian cover before shifting to a military character. Security forces seized photographs of security personnel and sensitive locations from the cell's members, and detected attempts to recruit new members. Eight people have been arrested so far.

The agency also sent warning text messages to individuals who had been lured into the so-called "Iraqi National Assembly for Change and Liberation" -a front linked to Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party- urging them to withdraw. Many of those contacted responded by shutting down platforms that had been used for recruitment and promotion.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraq on Wednesday dismantled two criminal networks linked todrug trafficking and the exploitation of minors, in coordinated operations thatstretched across multiple provinces and involved regional cooperation.

According to Ziad Al-Qaisi, head of the Iraqi Directorate ofNarcotics Affairs media office, security forces working alongside Syrianauthorities disrupted an international drug network in possession of onemillion captagon pills. The group was arrested through three coordinatedoperations before being referred to the judiciary for legal proceedings.

Read more: 3-year drug crackdown: Iraq busts 230 networks

Kirkuk Police dismantled a human trafficking ring accused ofluring and abducting underage girls and boys, then transferring them to theKurdistan Region in exchange for money.

Speaking to Shafaq News, Police Chief Fattah MahmoudAl-Khafaji noted that suspicions arose after a checkpoint under Kirkuk policecommand intercepted a man traveling with four children —two girls and two boys.A review of identification documents showed no family ties between the man andthe children, prompting further investigation. Al-Khafaji further revealed thatthe suspect admitted during questioning to involvement in several networksengaged in luring and abducting minors, as well as selling them for financialgain.

In its 2025 report, the International Organization forMigration (IOM) estimated that 221,000 people in Iraq are affected by what itdescribes as “modern slavery,” with women, children, minorities and displacedfamilies among the most vulnerable. The United Nations Office on Drugs andCrime (UNODC) reports that adult women account for more than half of allvictims, while girls represent nearly one-fifth. Official figures released last December recorded 2,300 victims over the past three years, during whichauthorities dismantled more than 1,800 networks and individuals involved intrafficking and forced begging.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Akram Al-Kaabi, Secretary-General of Harakat HezbollahAl-Nujaba, part of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI), warned on Wednesdaythat the Axis of Resistance* would resume operations against Israel inresponse to Israeli strikes on Lebanon.

pic.twitter.com/k1xWutQowf

— الشيخ اكرم الكعبي (@Akram_Alkabee) April 8, 2026

Abu Alaa Al-Walaei, Secretary-General of Kataib SayyidAl-Shuhada, also called on the leadership of the Axis of Resistance to strikeIsrael in response to attacks on Lebanon and what he described as violations ofa ceasefire announced a day earlier between Iran and the United States.

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— ابو الاء الولائي (@aboalaa_alwalae) April 8, 2026

Earlier today, Israeli forces carried out around 100 strikes across Lebanon within 10 minutes, killing at least 89 people and injuring 722 others, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry.

Iran responded by moving to restrict tanker traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, warning it may reconsider the ceasefire if operations in Lebanon continue. An informed source told Tasnim News Agency that Tehran is reviewing the option of withdrawing from the truce, describing the strikes as a violation of what it considers a comprehensive agreement, while Ibrahim Rezaei, spokesperson for Iran’s parliamentary National Security Committee, stressed that any ceasefire must apply across all fronts.

US President Donald Trump, however, indicated that Israeli activity in Lebanon falls outside the ceasefire arrangement with Iran, describing it as a separate “skirmish” linked to Hezbollah.

*The Axis of Resistance is an Iran-aligned coalition of armed factions, including Palestinian groups, Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Yemen’s Ansarallah (Houthis) movement, Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Forces, and other groups.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

More than 100 people have beenkilled across Iraq in the 40 days since the United States and Israel launchedstrikes on Iran on February 28, according to data compiled by Shafaq News fromfield and security sources, as well as statements issued by the factionsthemselves.

With no official casualtybreakdown released, civilian deaths in particular remain impossible to verify,and Shafaq News was unable to confirm individual civilian deaths tied tospecific incidents independently.

PopularMobilization Forces

The PMF —a state-sanctionedumbrella of predominantly Shiite armed factions formally integrated into Iraq'ssecurity structure— has sustained the heaviest losses, based on statementsissued by the PMF itself and sources who spoke to Shafaq News. US airstrikestargeting PMF units killed about 80 fighters and wounded about 200 othersacross approximately 77 documented strikes. The deadliest single incidentstruck a PMF position at Habbaniyah Base in Al-Anbar province, killingoperations commander Saad Dawi and 14 fighters. Additional strikes killedfighters in Kirkuk, Diyala, Baghdad, Basra, Nineveh, and Saladin.

Iraqi Army

Seven Iraqi servicemen werekilled, and 13 others were wounded when a strike hit a military medicalfacility and an engineering unit at Habbaniyah Base on March 25, Iraq'sMinistry of Defense confirmed. A separate incident in the desert corridorbetween Karbala and Najaf killed one soldier and wounded two others when amilitary patrol came under aerial fire during a reconnaissance mission.

Kurdish Peshmerga

The most serious single strikeon Kurdistan Region forces hit Peshmerga positions in Soran, Erbil province, onMarch 24, killing six fighters and wounding more than 20 others. The KurdistanRegional Government attributed the attack to Iran. A security officer was alsokilled in an attack targeting Erbil International Airport on March 8.

Police

At least three police officerswere killed in drone strikes in Baghdad, Kirkuk, and Diyala.

Foreign NationalsOn Iraqi Soil

One French soldier was killedand six others wounded in a drone attack in the Makhmour area of IraqiKurdistan, where French forces were conducting counterterrorism training. SixUS service members died when a military refueling aircraft crashed in westernIraq on March 12. One foreign crew member was also killed in an attacktargeting tankers near an Iraqi port.

All figures in this report arebased on data gathered by Shafaq News from field and security sources, as wellas statements issued by the factions themselves. No official casualty breakdownhas been issued by the Iraqi federal government or the Kurdistan RegionalGovernment.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The US Embassy in Baghdad onWednesday warned American citizens against traveling to Iraq, citing ongoingsecurity threats despite the reopening of Iraqi airspace and airports.

On X, the embassy pointed tomultiple drone incidents near the US diplomatic support center and BaghdadInternational Airport on April 8, warning that further attacks could target USnationals and interests across Iraq, including the Kurdistan Region. It notedrisks to diplomatic sites, companies, universities, energy infrastructure,hotels, and airports, as well as Iraqi institutions and civilian locations,while also referencing previous kidnapping attempts involving US citizens.

Security Alert – U.S. Embassy Baghdad, Iraq – April 8, 2026Location: Iraq Iraqi terrorist militia groups aligned with Iran conducted multiple drone attacks in the vicinity of the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Center and Baghdad International Airport on April 8. They may intend…

— U.S. Embassy Baghdad (@USEmbBaghdad) April 8, 2026

“U.S. citizens should nottravel within Iraq by air in light of the ongoing risk of missiles, drones, androckets in Iraqi airspace,” the statement said, advising those already in thecountry to consider overland departure.

While confirming that the USmission remains operational despite the departure of some staff, the embassy urgedcitizens to avoid approaching its compound in Baghdad and the consulate inErbil due to security concerns.

The advisory follows thereopening of Iraq’s airspace and airports after nearly 40 days of closure amidheightened regional tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Abu Alaa Al-Walaei, Secretary-General of Kataib Sayyid Al-Shuhada,on Wednesday called for coordinated strikes against Israel, accusing it ofviolating the ceasefire in Lebanon and targeting civilians.

In a statement, Al-Walaei said the call comes “after themassacres committed by Benjamin Netanyahu against our unarmed Lebanese people,”describing the actions as an attempt to cover what he called a “historicsetback” against Iran and its allies. He urged armed factions within what is known as the “IslamicResistance Axis” to respond, calling for a unified retaliation against Israel,which he accused of breaching the truce and killing civilians in Lebanon.

Al-Walaei noted that the alliance possesses “significanttools” to respond to what he described as Israeli violations, adding, “retaliationwould challenge Israel’s position.” He also stressed the need to keep the confrontation ongoing,extending it to countries that have normalized relations with Israel, includingthe United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, citing the presence of Israeli interestsin those states.

More than 100 Israeli airstrikes on Wednesday hit multiple areas across Lebanon, including Beirut and its suburbs, southern regions, and the Beqaa Valley, killing around 200, according to Lebanese media.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

On Wednesday, the head of the executive council of Harakat al-Nujaba -part of the Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance in Iraq- rejected any future calls to disarm the faction, saying its weapons would only be surrendered to Imam al-Mahdi*.

Speaking exclusively to Shafaq News, Sheikh Nazim al-Saidi said the resistance's arms were "not merely a material tool, but a legitimate trust linked to their rightful owner (al-Mahdi)," dismissing any prospect of the movement being absorbed into official security forces.

He added that the weapons were "disciplined and directed exclusively at repelling occupiers (US forces) and those who violate Iraq's sovereignty," arguing that the resistance's existence guaranteed that the "desecration of Iraqi soil" would not be repeated.

*The Imam al-Mahdi is the twelfth and final Imam in Twelver Shiite Islam, believed to have gone into divine concealment in 941 AD and destined to reappear at the end of times to establish global justice.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) on Wednesday announceda two-week halt to its military operations in Iraq and across the region,aligning with a temporary ceasefire between the United States and Iran.

The group noted that the suspension would cover all military activitieswithout detailing its scope or conditions.

Earlier in the day, US President Donald Trump declared a two-weeksuspension of all bombing and attacks on Iran, describing it as a mutualceasefire, provided Tehran agrees to reopen the Strait of Hormuz “completely,immediately, and safely.”

Shafaq News- Baghdad

The Iran-aligned Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) announced, in a statement on Tuesday, it had carried out 19 operations over the past 24 hours, deploying dozens of drones against “enemy bases” inside Iraq and across the region.

The announcement comes as armed factions continue to target foreign military installations inside the country, against the backdrop of a regional war that erupted on February 28 when the United States and Israel launched a sustained assault on Iran, killing hundreds including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The conflict widened on March 2 when Hezbollah entered the fighting, drawing Lebanon in. Iran's retaliation has since sent shockwaves across Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, and Saudi Arabia.

Read more: Wave of attacks on diplomatic missions risks isolating Iraq internationally

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Multiple security incidents struck Baghdad on both the Karkh and Rusafa banks of the Tigris on Tuesday, killing two civilians and wounding five security personnel, Iraq's Interior Ministry said in a statement.

On the Karkh side, an airstrike targeting a PMF camp in the Sheikh Amer checkpoint area in Taji/Saba al-Bour wounded an army captain and four personnel from the Second Division's Fifth Brigade who were nearby. A second projectile fell near the Imam al-Muntadhar Husseinia in the same area and failed to detonate. In Ameriya, a projectile struck a residential house on Organization Street, killing two civilians.

On the Rusafa side, a civilian vehicle caught fire in Jamila. An airstrike hit a residential house at Palm Junction on Palestine Street, setting part of the roof ablaze with no casualties reported. A second civilian vehicle burned on Morocco Street. A separate unexploded projectile landed near internal divisions on Palestine Street.

Read more: US-Iraq security agreements keep failing: The PMF, dual loyalty, and Baghdad’s sovereignty deficit

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iraqi authorities took custody of American journalist Shelley Kittleson on Tuesday after Iran-aligned armed faction Kataib Hezbollah released her following a week in captivity, a security source told Shafaq News.

Travel procedures for her departure from Iraq are expected to be completed within hours.

The group announced Kittleson’s release earlier today, with its security official Abu Mujahid al-Assaf saying the decision came "in appreciation of the national positions" of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

An airstrike hit a security checkpoint in the Sheikh Amer area of Saba al-Bour, north of Baghdad, on Tuesday, wounding an officer and four personnel, a security source told Shafaq News.

The strike was among a series of explosions that shook multiple districts of the capital overnight, including Palestine Street, the Jamila district, and Ameriya.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Projectiles hit residential areas on Palestine Street and in the Jamila district of Baghdad on Tuesday, a security source told Shafaq News.

A house caught fire after an unidentified projectile landed at the Palm Junction intersection on Palestine Street.

In a separate strike, a drone came down on Khairallah Street in the Jamila district, wounding a security personnel member and damaging a civilian vehicle.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A projectile struck a house in the Ameriya district of Baghdad on Tuesday, destroying parts of the structure and causing casualties, a security source told Shafaq News.

The full extent of injuries remained unclear.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

A drone struck the logistical support headquarters in the vicinity of Baghdad International Airport on Tuesday, a security source told Shafaq News.

The extent of casualties and damage remained unknown.

Earlier today, powerful explosions echoed across the Karkh side of Baghdad. Eyewitnesses told Shafaq News that the explosions were accompanied by heavy gunfire near the Green Zone.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Powerful explosions echoed across the Karkh side of Baghdad on Tuesday.

A security source told Shafaq News the blasts were likely caused by incoming missiles.

Eyewitnesses told Shafaq News that the explosions were accompanied by heavy gunfire near the Green Zone in central Baghdad, as the C-RAM defense system at the US Embassy activated.

Read more: US-Iraq security agreements keep failing: The PMF, dual loyalty, and Baghdad’s sovereignty deficit

Shafaq News- Basra

Dozens of protesters stormed the Kuwaiti consulate in Basra on Tuesday, Shafaq News correspondent reported, adding that the protestors teared down the Kuwaiti flag and raised the Iraqi flag instead.

Security Forces fired tear gas to push the crowd back, the correspondent noted.

The breach followed a missile strike launched from Kuwaiti territory that killed everyone inside a house in Khor al-Zubair in the Safwan district. A security source told Shafaq News the house belonged to an armed faction and was being used as a gathering point at the time of the attack.

Shafaq News-Kuwait

The KuwaitiInterior Ministry ordered residents to remain in their homes from midnightuntil 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, citing current security conditions in the countryand the region.

The ordercomes as US President Donald Trump set 8:00 p.m. ET Tuesday as a deadline forIran to strike a deal and reopen the Strait of Hormuz— a crossing through whicha fifth of the world's oil transits in peacetime and which Iran has keptlargely blocked since US and Israeli strikes on February 28. Trump threatenedto destroy all of Iran's power plants and bridges if Tehran did not comply,warning that "a whole civilization will die tonight."

Iranrejected a temporary ceasefire proposal and submitted a counterproposal callingfor a permanent end to hostilities, including an end to all regional conflicts,safe passage protocols through the Strait of Hormuz, the lifting of sanctions, reconstructionguarantees, and an end to the war with guarantees against future attack.

Kuwait hoststhe largest concentration of US military personnel in the Middle East. Anestimated 13,500 US troops are stationed across three major installations —CampArifjan, Ali Al Salem Air Base, and Camp Buehring. All but one US-Kuwaiti basehas been targeted by Iran since the war began. Kuwait's Health Ministryreported that Iranian strikes killed one person and wounded 32 others, allforeign nationals, while a separate attack on one of the bases injured 15 USsoldiers.

Shafaq News-Basra

A rocketstruck a residential home on agricultural land in southern Khor al-Zubair alongthe Safwan road at 5:45 p.m. Tuesday, killing three people and destroying thestructure entirely, the Basra police command said.

The threevictims, whose identities remain unknown, were inside the home at the time ofthe strike. Forensic teams examined the site and transferred the bodies to theforensic medicine department.

The police did notidentify the origin of the rocket or attribute responsibility for the strike;however, sources told Shafaq News that the missile was launched from Kuwait, killingall people present at a gathering of an Iraqi armed faction.

Shafaq News-Diyala

A PopularMobilization Forces (PMF) engineering site inside Camp Ashraf, northwest of al-Khalisdistrict in Diyala province, came under aerial bombardment on Tuesday, a securitysource told Shafaq News.

Casualtiesand damage remain unknown due to a communications blackout with the site, thesource said.

Read more: US-Iraq security agreements: The PMF, dual loyalty, and Baghdad’s sovereignty deficit

Shafaq News- Basra

At leastthree people were killed, and five others wounded Tuesday when missiles firedfrom Kuwaiti territory struck a residential house in Khor al-Zubair near Basra,security and medical officials told Shafaq News.

The strikehit a house on agricultural land along the Safwan road in southern Khoral-Zubair at 5:45 p.m., destroying the structure entirely, according to astatement from the Basra police command, without attributing responsibility forthe strike or identifying the origin of the missiles.

A securitysource told Shafaq News the struck house was being used as a gathering pointfor an armed faction at the time of the attack, killing at least three, andwounding five others. Basra Provincial Council member Thaer al-Salihi said that rescue teams recovered three bodies from inside the house, while search operations remained underway for a woman and her young daughter who were present at the time of impact. 

Heavysecurity forces deployed outside the Kuwaiti consulate in central Basra afterresidents gathered outside the consulate to protest the strike.

Shafaq News- Baghdad

Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah armed group announced Tuesday the release of American journalist Shelley Kittleson, abducted in Baghdad a week ago, ordering her to leave Iraq immediately.

The group's security official, Abu Mujahid al-Assaf, said in a statement that the decision was taken "in appreciation of the national positions" of caretaker Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, warning the gesture would not be repeated. "We are in a state of war launched by the Zionist-American enemy against Islam," he said, "and in such circumstances, many considerations fall away."

pic.twitter.com/luMsHOWTDe

— صابرين نيوز - Sabereen news (@sabreenS11) April 7, 2026

The New York Times had earlier reported that Kataib Hezbollah approached the Iraqi government, offering to negotiate Kittleson's release in exchange for the freeing of several of its detained members. Amnesty International had expressed serious concern over her safety, urging Iraqi and American authorities to act urgently to secure her release and hold those responsible accountable.

Kittleson is a freelance journalist based in Rome who has contributed to American and Italian outlets, including Il Foglio and ANSA, as well as international platforms including The Monitor, the BBC, and Politico magazine.

Shafaq News- Basra

A missile struck a house in Basra’s Khor al-Zubairarea, southern Iraq, killing five people in an initial toll, a security sourcetold Shafaq News on Tuesday.

Speaking with our agency, Basra Provincial Council member Thaeral-Salhi said search and rescue teams recovered three bodies from the site,while efforts continued to locate a woman and her child who were inside at thetime of the strike.

No party has claimed responsibility for the attack so far.

Shafaq News-Baghdad

Iraq's CentralCriminal Court has issued death sentences against 11 members of an ISIS cellconvicted of planning attacks on state institutions, according to the SupremeJudicial Council.

The defendantswere found to have joined ISIS through social media platforms and personalaccounts, received specialized training in the manufacture of explosive devicesand munitions, and used drones to target state institutions for terroristpurposes.

The sentenceswere issued under the Anti-Terrorism Law No. 13 of 2005, which prescribes thedeath penalty for individuals convicted of carrying out, planning, orfacilitating terrorist acts.

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

Shafaq News-Kirkuk

Securityforces on Tuesday downed two unmanned aerial vehicles over Kirkuk, in northernIraq, according to the Security Media Cell (SMC).

In astatement, Lieutenant General Saad Maan, head of the Cell, confirmed that armyunits and Federal Police forces brought down the drones at 09:45 a.m. local time.

Forensicteams were immediately deployed to the crash site to collect evidence andexamine the wreckage.

No party hasclaimed responsibility for the incident so far.