Iraqi PM escalates Jurf Al Sakhar smuggling crackdown, sacks security chiefs and refers suspects to court

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Al Zaidi intensified his crackdown on oil smuggling operations in Jurf Al Sakhar, a region under the control of Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia. In a dramatic escalation, he referred all suspects to the judiciary and dismissed nine senior security and administrative officials. The measures came after an emergency security meeting on Saturday, where an investigative committee confirmed the findings of a leaked intelligence report detailing oil theft operations in the area.

The report, based on satellite imagery from 2021 to 2026, identified four smuggling sites near pipelines, each operated by a large tanker with a capacity of 36,000 litres. The committee visited the area controlled by Kataib Hezbollah and found the operations to be consistent with the leaked report. The Prime Minister's decision to refer suspects to court and dismiss officials follows days of controversy surrounding the leaked report, which documented the illegal extraction of oil in the region since 2021.

Jurf Al Sakhar, located about 60km southwest of Baghdad, has been under the control of Kataib Hezbollah since 2014 and is designated a terrorist organisation by the US. The Prime Minister's crackdown is part of his broader effort to bring armed factions under state control, a process that has faced resistance from Iran-aligned militias.

So far, only three armed groups have agreed to disarm and place their weapons under state authority.