Basra prepares emergency health and security plans amid regional war

BASRA — Basra Provincial Council Chairman Khalaf al-Badran said late Tuesday that authorities have prepared emergency plans for health and security institutions in the governorate in anticipation of any spillover from the ongoing war.

Al-Badran said council committees have met with the operations command, police leadership and relevant security agencies. “A security plan has been prepared to confront any emergency that may occur, God forbid,” he said, adding that the governorate “continues to witness security stability.”

On the health side, he said the council met to discuss “an emergency plan that includes health institutions in the governorate in anticipation of any event that may occur in Basra.”
Discussions are also underway to monitor local market activity and prevent traders from exploiting current conditions, a matter also raised with the council’s Investment and Development Committee.

Al-Badran said talks are ongoing to ensure supplies of petroleum derivatives, including vehicle fuel, cooking gas and gas supplied to power stations. “We received assurances from companies operating in the oil sector affiliated with the Ministry of Oil,” he said.

Basra has faced multiple incidents since the war began Feb. 28. Drones struck the Burjesia oil complex, prompting Governor Eidani to form a crisis cell and place oil infrastructure under heightened security. The Shalamcheh and Safwan border crossings remain open. Disruption to the Strait of Hormuz has pushed oil prices above $100 a barrel, adding pressure on Iraq’s main export hub.