Six arrested in raid that killed police officer

DIWANIYAH—Six suspects were arrested after a police officer was fatally shot during a raid in Diwaniyah governorate, authorities said Thursday.

“In the evening hours of Wednesday, at exactly 9:00 p.m., a force from Al-Jumhouri Police Station carried out an operation to arrest a suspect wanted under Article 413 in the Al-Askari neighborhood,” Diwaniyah police said in a statement. “Upon arrival at the suspect’s residence, the force came under gunfire from multiple directions, resulting in the martyrdom of Colonel Ali Mohammed Mohsen.”

Following the attack, Diwaniyah Police Chief Major General Najah Mahmoud Sultan ordered a task force to track down those involved. “Less than 30 minutes later, all six suspects were apprehended, and firearms were seized from them,” police said.

Article 413 of the Iraqi Penal Code penalizes intentional physical assault causing harm or illness, with sentences ranging from up to one year to detention, depending on the severity of the injury and the method used.

The Federal Intelligence and Investigations Agency confirmed the arrests in a statement. “Our counterterrorism units in Diwaniyah apprehended six individuals following their armed confrontation with security forces, in which they killed an officer and wounded two others,” the agency said.

Authorities credited intelligence efforts and field monitoring for the rapid operation. “Before they could flee, intelligence units successfully captured them,” the statement read.