Burn damage is seen at Ibn Khaldoun Preparatory School in Baghdad’s Al-Obeidi area after the building was set on fire during New Year’s celebrations, according to the Ministry of Education.
Education Ministry says Baghdad school set ablaze in New Year sabotage
BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Ministry of Education said Thursday that Ibn Khaldoun Preparatory School in Baghdad’s Al-Obeidi area was set on fire in an act of sabotage during New Year’s celebrations, adding that security forces arrested the alleged perpetrators at the scene.
In a statement, the ministry said it was informing the public about “the exposure of Ibn Khaldoun Preparatory School to a sabotaging act by burning during the hours of New Year’s celebrations.”
It said the school administration moved quickly to contain the fire and took “necessary immediate measures,” while notifying security authorities who “began their duties and managed to arrest the perpetrators directly.”
The ministry sought to reassure students and families that “school records and data are fully preserved and electronically archived.”
It added that the General Directorate of Education for Baghdad Rusafa Second conducted an on-site inspection and ordered an urgent administrative investigation in coordination with relevant authorities, stressing the need to protect educational institutions across Iraq “from any assault or acts of sabotage.”