Iraqi special security forces raided Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone on Sunday morning and launched a sweeping arrest campaign against government officials, politicians, and security officers accused of embezzling billions of dollars from state coffers, according to Iraqi media. The operation, led by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi with judicial backing, included sealing the compound's gates and deploying armored vehicles to prevent militia interference. Tens of millions of dollars and gold were confiscated from a deputy oil minister in recent days.
Iraqi special security forces conducted a predawn raid on Baghdad's Green Zone on Sunday, escalating a major anti-corruption campaign that has already seen the arrest of a deputy oil minister and the seizure of tens of millions of dollars and gold, according to Iraqi media reports.
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, backed by the judiciary, ordered the operation targeting a sprawling embezzlement scheme that allegedly cost the state billions of dollars, the reports said. The Green Zone — the heavily fortified district housing government buildings and foreign embassies — was sealed off, with armored vehicles deployed at its gates to prevent armed militias from intervening. Dozens of officials, politicians, and security officers from the old establishment are being detained.
As The Zioneer reported at 02:57 Sunday, the PM had earlier ordered tanks and artillery positioned at the zone's gates. By 03:21 Sunday, the Iraqi military had fully secured the compound, Israeli and Iraqi media reported. The current raid marks the first arrests inside the zone itself. The operation's scope and duration remain unclear; no official statement has been issued by the Iraqi government or military.
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- Internal intake