30 arrested: Iraqi Security Forces strike
In Saladin, the Criminal Investigation Department apprehended 25 individuals under judicial warrants, including a suspect involved in kidnapping.
Separately, al-Diwaniyah police dismantled a group accused of stealing gold jewelry from a store. Acting on the police chief's directive, a joint task force was formed, which tracked and arrested five suspects following a 15-hour uninterrupted pursuit.
Iraq recorded a 15% drop in overall crime in 2024, including a 20% reduction in violent offenses and a 12% decrease in theft-related crimes, according to the Strategic Center for Human Rights. Authorities attribute this progress to enhanced security operations and improved inter-agency coordination.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Rudaw Net
2 hours ago
- Rudaw Net
Iraq's three presidencies condemn ‘drone attacks' on Kurdistan oil fields
A+ A- ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The Iraqi presidency, premiership and parliament on Tuesday strongly condemned the recent 'drone attacks' on oil fields in the Kurdistan Region, calling them a flagrant assault on national security and stability. In a statement, the Iraqi Presidency vehemently denounced the 'terrorist attacks' on the Sarsang oil field in northern Duhok early Tuesday and the Khurmala oil field southwest of Erbil late Monday. It warned that such attacks threaten the country's 'economy and the security and safety of its citizens,' describing them as 'equivalent to targeting the state's public interests.' The presidency urged "the relevant security authorities' in Baghdad and Erbil 'to take appropriate and urgent measures to identify the perpetrators and prevent the recurrence of such terrorist attacks." Echoing the presidency's stance, Sabah al-Numan, spokesperson for the Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani, said on Tuesday that the assaults were carried out using drones, branding them 'criminal acts' and a 'direct threat to national interests.' He added that the Iraqi premier had 'ordered an immediate and comprehensive investigation' into the incidents, which reflect a "malicious intent aimed at creating confusion." Baghdad pledged decisive action against the perpetrators and stressed the need to protect vital infrastructure. Meanwhile, Iraqi Parliament's Second Deputy Speaker Shakhawan Abdullah condemned the 'deliberate operations' targeting oil and critical infrastructure in the Kurdistan Region. He confirmed that 'these attacks caused material and economic damages' and called on the federal government to "maintain security and identify the parties responsible." He further tasked the parliament's Security and Defense Committee with investigating the "repeated targeting incidents and breaches that are threatening the security of the [Kurdistan] Region.' Earlier on Tuesday, an explosion hit the Sarsang oil field in the Kurdistan Region's northern Duhok province, operated by the US-based HKN Energy, which holds a 62 percent stake in the field. In a statement posted to its official Facebook page, HKN Energy confirmed that 'an explosion occurred' around 7:00 am local time. 'All personnel have been safely accounted for, and no injuries have been reported,' the company said, adding that 'operations at the affected facility have been suspended until the site is secured and a full evaluation is completed.' Just a day earlier, two explosive-laden drones targeted the Khurmala oil field, southwest of Erbil, late Monday night. According to a security source speaking to Rudaw, the drones were intercepted by US-led coalition forces. No casualties were reported in that incident either. The Kurdistan Region Presidency on Tuesday strongly condemned 'the drone strikes on infrastructure and various locations within the Kurdistan Region,' urging the federal government in Baghdad to take urgent measures to prevent further attacks and bring those responsible to justice. The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) natural resources ministry also denounced the incidents as 'terrorist attacks' against the Region's economic infrastructure. Drone strikes in the Kurdistan Region have increased since the outbreak of a 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran that began on June 13 and ended with a US-brokered ceasefire. While no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks, the Kurdistan Region's interior ministry has accused the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) of involvement - a charge dismissed by Baghdad as 'unacceptable.'
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
The river remembers: 11 years since Speicher massacre
2025-07-15T14:00:07+00:00 Shafaq News Each year, Umm Ali returns to the banks of the Tigris with a candle in her hand and Quranic verses on her lips. She kneels beside the ruins of Saddam Hussein's former palaces, where her nephew was executed, whispering prayers into a place stained by violence and memory. On June 12, 2014, ISIS militants overran Camp Speicher, a former Iraqi Air Force base near Tikrit. They captured nearly 2,000 unarmed military cadets—mostly young Shia men from central and southern Iraq—separated them by sect, stripped them of their IDs, and took them to execution sites across Saladin province. Many were shot en masse or dumped into the Tigris. The massacre unfolded inside the lavish presidential complex once used by Saddam Hussein—a site meant to inspire awe and dominance. Marble corridors and manicured courtyards became killing grounds, transforming a symbol of tyranny into a theater of death. Eleven years later, the Iraqi government continues to investigate the massacre. Over 1,200 bodies have been exhumed from mass graves, and DNA identification efforts are ongoing. Several suspects have been tried and executed, including 36 in 2016. In July 2025, German authorities extradited another fugitive involved in the killings following a joint operation with Iraqi intelligence. Iraq is also working with international partners, including the UN Investigative Team for Accountability of Daesh (UNITAD), which has classified the Speicher massacre as a potential war crime and assists Iraqi courts in documenting and prosecuting those responsible. 'The Speicher crime is not just a local tragedy—it is a national one,' said lawyer Adnan al-Jubouri. 'It must stay in our collective memory as a rejection of sectarianism and violence.' Residents of Tikrit continue to distance themselves from the attackers. 'This has nothing to do with our city or its tribes,' said Hassan al-Tikriti. 'It was a crime against humanity carried out by fanatics who do not represent us.' Even as justice advances, many families are still searching for answers. 'We don't come here just to grieve,' Umm Ali said. 'We come to remind Iraq that justice must never be forgotten.'
Shafaq News
2 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraqi Oil Ministry rejects link to US-sanctioned figure
Shafaq News – Baghdad On Tuesday, Iraq's Ministry of Oil denied any connection to a figure known as 'Omid,' who was recently sanctioned by the US Treasury for allegedly using Iraqi tankers to smuggle Iranian crude. The member of the parliamentary Oil and Gas Committee Baha al-Din al-Nouri told Shafaq News that both Oil Minister Hayyan Abdul Ghani and the director general of the State Oil Marketing Organization (SOMO) assured lawmakers during the July 14 session that there was 'no indication of Iraqi oil being mixed with Iranian crude or sold on the market.' Speculation over oil smuggling intensified after the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a transportation company, al-Nouri pointed out.
