The sweeping dismissals came after an investigative committee gained access to Jurf al-Sakher alongside Kataeb Hezbollah members to examine smuggling operations. Investigators corroborated intelligence reports and satellite imagery showing unauthorized taps on a local pipeline used to siphon crude oil and refined derivatives. The personnel removed from their posts span the interior ministry, regional intelligence, and the state-run Oil Pipelines Company. Military spokesman Sabah al-Numan confirmed that all suspects tied to the illicit trade will face formal judicial proceedings.
Key points
Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered all individuals accused of participating in the smugg…: Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi ordered all individuals accused of participating in the smuggling network to face judicial referral.
High-level officials across Iraq's oil, interior, and intelligence sectors have been remo…: High-level officials across Iraq's oil, interior, and intelligence sectors have been removed over the illicit pipeline operations.
The government utilized satellite surveillance and physical site inspections to confirm t…: The government utilized satellite surveillance and physical site inspections to confirm the oil theft inside the armed group's stronghold.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi dismissed nine officials on Saturday, following an investigation into allegations of oil smuggling in the Jurf al-Sakher area, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group.
"In light of the investigation's findings," Zaidi "ordered that all individuals accused of involvement in oil smuggling operations be referred to the judiciary," his military spokesman Sabah al-Numan said, without identifying the suspects.
The premier "also ordered the dismissal" of nine officials, including security and intelligence officers in Babylon province, an interior ministry commander, and the director of the Oil Pipelines Company at the oil ministry.
Numan did not elaborate on the role of the sacked officials in the alleged smuggling operations.
A committee investigating the allegations entered Jurf al-Sakher on Friday, accompanied by members of Kataeb Hezbollah.
On Wednesday, the state news agency INA reported that "intelligence documents" containing satellite images "showed crude oil and oil-derivatives smuggling operations carried out by an armed faction" in Jurf al-Sakher, accusing the unnamed faction of tapping into a pipeline there.
According to Numan, the investigating committee "confirmed the accuracy" of the…
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