Maliki says he initially thought Green Zone operation was a coup

BAGHDAD — State of Law Coalition leader Nouri al-Maliki said Monday he initially believed Iraq was facing a coup after tanks and security forces entered Baghdad’s Green Zone, before learning the deployment was part of Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s anti-corruption campaign.

Speaking to Alforat TV, Maliki said he was caught off guard as reports of troop movements spread across Baghdad.

“While I was having breakfast, I saw calls on my phone from tribal sheikhs and young men saying, ‘Hajji, we are ready to enter the Green Zone with our weapons. We heard there is a coup and tanks,'” he said, adding that he knew nothing about the operation until he checked his phone and saw reports of arrests and military vehicles.

Maliki said the movement of the tanks “was not preparation for a battle, but rather a signal of seriousness and readiness.”

He described Zaidi’s campaign as a necessary response to declining public confidence. “It was the prime minister’s duty to carry out this campaign, because the entire nation had lost confidence in governments and in all politicians,” he said.

Maliki said the operation should continue but stay within the law. “What happened is not enough, and it must continue, but according to its proper principles and regulations,” he said, warning against any campaign “outside the rules, commitments, proper conduct and sound policies.”

He also said corruption had grown beyond isolated cases, reaching what he called an unprecedented scale during the previous government.

The comments come a week after Iraqi security forces launched the operation known as “Dawn Strike,” sealing the Green Zone before dawn and carrying out coordinated raids on current and former officials. Security and political sources previously told 964media the operation had been planned in near-total secrecy, with participating forces surrendering their mobile phones in advance and commanders receiving their targets only shortly before deployment.

The investigation stems from the detention of former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili over alleged financial irregularities in the oil sector and has since expanded to include lawmakers and senior officials. Zaidi has described the campaign as only its “first phase.”