ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Baghdad witnessed a rare, large-scale security deployment in the early hours of Sunday as Iraqi forces carried out a sweeping operation that reportedly led to the arrest of several former officials, lawmakers, and businessmen across multiple provinces.
Counter-terrorism forces and army units, working alongside the integrity commission, moved into Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone overnight, temporarily shutting its gates as the raids unfolded, Rudaw's Ziyad Ismail reported from the Iraqi capital. The high-security zone hosts the US embassy, other diplomatic missions, and the seat of Iraq's government.
Iraqi authorities had not officially confirmed details of the operation as of Sunday morning, but numerous Iraqi social media accounts claimed more than a dozen lawmakers, former officials, and businessmen were targeted, including members of former Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani's cabinet.
The Sunday raids are believed to be connected to the ongoing investigation into Adnan al-Jumaili, the former deputy oil minister for refining affairs, whose arrest last month has snowballed into one of Iraq's largest corruption probes in years. Kurdish lawmaker Sherwan Dubardani had previously told Rudaw that Jumaili named dozens of individuals allegedly involved in the scheme during his interrogation.
Jumaili — described by Communications Minister Mustafa Sanad as the "whale" of the Oil Ministry — has been accused of siphoning funds from refineries in Baiji, Doura, Maysan, and Shuaiba, and of acting as a financier for political parties.
A senior Iraqi official later told Rudaw's Srwa Hawramy that "A number of suspects in corruption files have been arrested based on confessions" made Jumaili. "The arrests included members of the House of Representatives whose immunity had been lifted, as well as officials whose names were mentioned in those confessions."
Iraqi state media confirmed the raids.
The operation comes amid a broader crackdown launched by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office last month and has made tackling corruption a centerpiece of his agenda.
Iraqi authorities have yet to release an official list of those detained in Sunday's operation, and no government statement had been issued by the time of publication.
Updated at 10:53 am
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