Iraqi Security Forces Arrest Politicians and Senior Officials in Anti-Corruption Raids in Baghdad

• Iraqi security forces carried out sweeping raids in Baghdad’s Green Zone on Sunday, arresting politicians and senior officials in a major anti-corruption drive
• The operation was ordered directly by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who has vowed to confront entrenched corruption since taking office in May
• Sources say the campaign is set to expand in the coming days, targeting wider networks of officials implicated in alleged schemes

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Iraqi security forces arrested politicians, lawmakers and senior government officials early on Sunday, in what sources described as the start of a broader anti-corruption campaign ordered by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi.

Elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS) units raided homes inside Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, making several arrests, according to security and legal sources who declined to be named.

No official statement has yet been issued regarding the arrests.

Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s crackdown

According to Reuters, Zaidi, who assumed office in May, has pledged to tackle entrenched corruption — a persistent challenge in Iraq despite repeated promises by successive governments. Sunday’s operation was launched on his direct orders after judicial authorities issued arrest warrants targeting suspected corruption networks.

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The raids follow recent arrests of senior officials, including a deputy oil minister, on corruption-related charges. Those arrests led to additional warrants executed during Sunday’s operation.

Green zone raids and wider search

Most senior Iraqi government officials, lawmakers and political leaders maintain residences or offices inside the Green Zone, which also houses parliament, foreign embassies and the prime minister’s office. A senior source quoted by state news agency INA said some arrests were based on testimony provided by Adnan al-Jumaili, deputy oil minister for refining affairs, who was detained on corruption charges. The source noted that al-Jumaili’s statements implicated a wider network of officials in alleged schemes.

Some suspects managed to flee before security forces arrived, prompting authorities to close entrances to the Green Zone and launch a broader search operation. Sources added that the campaign is expected to continue in the coming days.

Corruption has long undermined Iraq’s governance and public trust. Zaidi’s campaign signals a renewed effort to hold officials accountable, though the scale of arrests inside the Green Zone highlights the depth of the challenge.

Iraq's Kurdistan enjoys all-day state electricity

Legit.ng earlier reported that more than 30 percent of Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region now has 24-hour state electricity, authorities said Thursday, with plans to extend full coverage by the end of 2026. The northern region of Kurdistan has long promoted itself as a haven of relative stability in an otherwise volatile country.

Despite Iraq's vast oil wealth, the national grid struggles to meet demand, leaving most areas reliant on imported energy and subject to frequent power cuts. "Today, two million people across the Kurdistan region enjoy 24-hour electricity... that's 30 percent of the population," including the cities of Arbil, Duhok and Sulaimaniyah, said regional prime minister Masrour Barzani.

In 2024, the Kurdistan Regional Government launched "Project Runaki" to deliver round-the-clock power in a region where, like much of Iraq, residents often turn to costly and polluting private generators.