ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi government has arrested more than 20 suspects, including senior officials and politicians, as part of a large-scale anti-corruption campaign launched over the weekend, the Baghdad government’s spokesperson said Monday. Haider al-Aboudi also noted that Iraq has set a late September deadline for Iran-aligned armed groups to hand over their weapons to the state, in line with a pledge made earlier this year by the prime minister.
“Operation Dawn saw the arrest of 21 suspects, while others are still being pursued,” Aboudi was quoted by the state-run Iraqi News Agency (INA) as saying, adding that “the operation will not stop” and that “the confessions made by the suspects are leading to other networks involving names and financial assets.”
The anti-corruption campaign “is different from previous ones, and protecting public funds is a responsibility that is not affected by individuals or circumstances,” the senior government official added, underscoring Baghdad’s “commitment to safeguarding public funds” and its “comprehensive vision in managing challenges, institutional reform, and combating corruption.”
The remarks come as Iraqi authorities continue to make headway with Operation Dawn, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign that was launched on Sunday under the direction of Prime Minister Zaidi in coordination with Iraq's Federal Commission of Integrity. The operation has so far resulted in the detention of tens of suspects including lawmakers, former officials, and senior government employees.
Moreover, Aboudi said on Monday that Baghdad has “set September 21 as the final deadline for the surrender of weapons, coinciding with the departure of the forces of the [US-led] Global Coalition [to Defeat the Islamic State].”
In his inaugural address to the Iraqi parliament in mid-May, the newly appointed premier pledged to pursue security reforms, including by “confining weapons under state control.” Zaidi also vowed to enhance the capabilities of the security forces and strengthen citizens’ “confidence in democracy.”
Earlier this month, he ordered the formation of a committee to oversee the implementation of measures aimed at disengaging political parties and armed factions from the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), amid a wider effort to bring paramilitary groups and their arms under state control.
However, Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran have since been sharply divided over the government initiative with some expressing willingness to surrender their arms, while others firmly reject the proposal and linking it to the presence of foreign forces in the country.
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