Interior Ministry officials speak at a press conference in Baghdad to announce the launch of the Injaz biometric data center project, a collaboration with French company Thales aimed at modernizing Iraq’s national identification and forensic systems.
Injaz
Iraq, French firm Thales launch biometric digital data center project
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Interior Ministry has launched construction of “Injaz,” the country’s first biometric digital data center, in partnership with French defense technology firm Thales. The project is expected to be completed within one year and will integrate national identification and forensic records into a centralized, secure system.
“This is a major project called Injaz, and the executing company is the French firm Thales,” Interior Ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri said during a press conference in Baghdad. “The project will have a wide impact on security. We have 44 million national cards and data that will be linked to forensic work, which will make it easier to identify fingerprints anywhere.”
The facility will consolidate national ID data with biometric and forensic databases, including fingerprints, facial recognition, DNA profiles, and firearm registration. It will also support electronic criminal record clearances, replacing paper-based procedures.
The data center will include a ballistic analysis system, DNA matching technology, and infrastructure for both a primary and backup data hub. Plans also call for 50 mobile crime scene units and secure communications systems to link police and forensic departments across all governorates through a centralized, encrypted network.
So far, more than 4 million biometric records and 950,000 demographic entries have been digitized and transferred to the new system.
The center will operate with ongoing maintenance and technical support and will include tools for automated biometric processing, surveillance footage analysis, and forensic firearm comparison.
“All of this will greatly enhance the field of investigations and security,” Miri said. “It will move us away from outdated investigative methods that are no longer effective. This project is the first of its kind in the history of the Interior Ministry and will transform our work. We will confront suspects with indisputable, error-free evidence.”