The main building of Iraq’s Interior Ministry in Baghdad.
Interior Ministry pays tribute to fallen officer in anti-narcotics operation in Kirkuk
KIRKUK — The Iraqi Ministry of Interior on Monday confirmed the death of an officer from the Kirkuk Police Command during a security operation targeting drug trafficking suspects in the Altun Kupri area. One suspect was killed, another was arrested.
The ministry said, “With great sorrow and grief, the Ministry of Interior mourns one of the members of the SWAT regiment in the Kirkuk Police Command, who was martyred while performing his sacred national duty.”
A joint force from the ministry and local units carried out the operation based on judicial warrants. “Upon arrival at the target location, the force came under fire and an armed clash ensued,” the ministry stated. Several security personnel were injured and taken to hospitals, where they are in stable condition.
The statement noted that “the security force managed to free a family that was being held in a farm,” adding that weapons, ammunition, and narcotics were seized during the raid. A formal investigation has been launched.
In a separate statement, the ministry announced the success of two operations in Diyala and Basra, resulting in the arrest of two international drug traffickers and the seizure of more than 51 kilograms of narcotics—3 kilograms in Diyala and 48 kilograms in Basra.
“These operations were carried out based on accurate intelligence and close field monitoring,” the ministry said.
Iraq has faced growing challenges from narcotics trafficking in recent years, evolving from a transit corridor into both a consumer market and a redistribution hub.
Courts have handed down some of the country’s toughest penalties in high-level trafficking cases. Between January and August 2024, judges issued 140 death sentences and 500 life sentences in narcotics cases.
In the first quarter of 2025, authorities reported 3,006 arrests related to drug offenses, while nationwide seizures reached 250 kilograms of narcotics in September alone.
The Wasit Criminal Court on Sunday sentenced two individuals to life imprisonment after convicting them of drug trafficking involving methamphetamine.