Iraqi PM orders inquiry into oil product smuggling in area controlled by Iran-backed militia
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi on Wednesday ordered an investigation into reports of petroleum products being siphoned from pipelines and smuggled, in an area under the control of an Iran-backed militias. The Interior Ministry’s Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency this week issued a report of smuggling activities in Jurf Al Sakhar, a sprawling agricultural area south of Baghdad,…
Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi has commissioned an investigation into allegations of oil product smuggling in Jurf Al Sakhar, a region under the control of Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia. The Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency presented a report detailing the illegal extraction from pipelines, utilizing satellite imagery from 2021 to 2026.
Four key sites were identified, each with a 36,000-liter tanker capacity, and three potential routes for transferring the illicit oil towards Baghdad province. Jurf Al Sakhar, once a stronghold for Sunni militant groups, has been predominantly under Kataib Hezbollah control since June 2014. The probe arrives amidst escalating tensions between Al Zaidi and Iran-backed factions.
While two pro-Iranian groups have reportedly turned in their weapons, others, notably Kataib Hezbollah and Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba, have refused disarmament. The Federal Integrity Commission is also probing crude oil smuggling from Kirkuk and the Kurdistan Region to Iran and Afghanistan.
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