ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Areas surrounding the Karkh Central Prison in Baghdad have come under repeated strikes over the past few days, with some projectiles landing dangerously close to the facility that houses high-risk inmates, Iraq’s justice ministry said on Sunday.
Justice ministry spokesperson Ahmed Laibi said in a statement that the strikes intensified on Saturday evening, with six projectiles landing in the vicinity of the airport from 6 pm to midnight.
The attacks near the prison “raise concerns about the impact on the security of the facility, which houses highly dangerous terrorist inmates,” read the statement.
Despite the incidents, the justice ministry sought to reassure the public that security measures remain in place to safeguard the prison.
“While we reassure our dear people that the security measures taken by the staff of our ministry and the heroic security agencies to protect the prison remain reassuring,” Laibi said, noting that authorities continue to closely monitor the situation.
However, he cautioned that the fall of projectiles near the prison site is still a source of concern.
Karkh Central Prison, located near Baghdad International Airport, holds some of Iraq’s most dangerous detainees, including individuals convicted of terrorism offenses.
Authorities have not yet announced who was responsible for the strikes or whether any casualties or damage were reported in the attacks.
The Coordination Framework - a coalition of Shiite political parties - held an emergency meeting late Saturday. The meeting was attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, and the chief of staff of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
“The attendees condemned the attacks targeting PMF and security force positions, which resulted in the killing and injury of personnel who were carrying out their duties within the official military formations tasked with maintaining security and stability. They stressed that such treacherous attacks constitute a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty and a threat to its security and stability,” read a statement from the coalition.
Some PMF factions have carried out drone and missile attacks on US diplomatic missions and military bases in Iraq in support of Iran in its ongoing war with the United States and Israel. In response, several PMF bases — part of a force that was once a paramilitary group but is now integrated into the Iraqi state forces — have been targeted, resulting in dozens of casualties. Some of these strikes have been blamed on the US, though neither Washington nor Tel Aviv has claimed responsibility.
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