Iraq energy police deploy drones, thermal cameras to secure fuel pipelines

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Energy Police Directorate has launched a plan to secure pipelines carrying oil derivatives, relying on drones and thermal surveillance cameras to curb theft and smuggling, an Interior Ministry official said.

Dhafir Nazmi, head of the Energy Police at the Ministry of Interior, told the Iraqi News Agency the directorate has gained “full control over the pipeline network across all governorates, including remote areas previously exploited for theft and smuggling.”

Nazmi said operations this year resulted in the recovery and return of more than 27 million liters of oil derivatives to the state. He said authorities also seized hundreds of vehicles, arrested suspects and dismantled 58 sites used to sell fuel on the black market.

He said enforcement efforts have shifted from pursuing organized networks linked to terrorism financing to targeting more isolated cases of illegal transport.

Nazmi said the security system includes 49 drones conducting daily reconnaissance and sending real-time data to a command center in Baghdad. He said thermal cameras have also been installed in cooperation with the Military Industrialization Authority.