Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service units continued raids in Baghdad's Green Zone Sunday morning, including in the Sima complex adjacent to the US embassy, according to Iraqi media reports. The operation expands an already sweeping anti-corruption crackdown launched hours earlier.
Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) units continued security raids in Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday morning, expanding the operation to include the Sima complex adjacent to the US embassy, according to Arabic-language media reports monitored by The Zioneer. The expansion, first reported around 09:30 local time, follows the earlier arrest of high-profile officials in an anti-corruption sweep, the deployment of tanks and artillery at the zone's gates, and a full military closure that began overnight Sunday, as The Zioneer reported throughout the morning. The new phase described by reporters on the ground — entry into the embassy-adjacent compound — marks a further tightening of the lockdown.
The operation began before dawn Sunday, when Iraqi special forces first raided the Green Zone and arrested senior officials, as The Zioneer reported at 04:56 Jerusalem. Within the same hour, Al-Arabiya reported that those detained included sitting politicians and government officials, adding a layer of corroboration to the initial reports. By 06:02 Jerusalem, The Zioneer detailed the deployment of tanks alongside ongoing arrests, and by 08:22 Jerusalem, the prime minister had ordered heavy armor into position, declaring a complete shutdown of the zone.
The crackdown, framed by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi's government as a decisive break from Iran-aligned political factions that previously held sway in the zone, comes amid heightened regional tensions. As The Zioneer reported earlier this month, the US Embassy in Baghdad warned citizens to leave Iraq immediately on June 11, with analysts predicting a multi-day campaign, and Iran's Foreign Minister engaged in calls with Turkish and Pakistani officials over security concerns on June 7.
The nature of the intelligence or legal basis for the Sima complex raids is not yet independently confirmed, and the status of any additional arrests at that location remains unverified. It is also unclear whether the US embassy compound itself has been directly affected by the raids.
5 developments
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- StrongIraqi PM orders tanks, artillery deployed to Baghdad Green Zone gates — update: heavy armor now in position
Source and signal
- Internal intake