Korek office closures reaches eight governorates across federal Iraq

BAGHDAD — The Communications and Media Commission extended its closure of Korek Telecom offices to Kirkuk, Nineveh and Salah al-Din on Sunday, bringing to eight the number of governorates where the operator’s premises have been shut.

Its northern office worked with the National Security Service on inspections that closed Korek headquarters and customer service sites in the three governorates, the commission said. In Kirkuk these were in the Almas area, Jumhuriya Street and Governorate Street; in Nineveh they covered al-Noor, al-Majmoua al-Thaqafiya and Sumer on Mosul’s left bank and New Mosul and Dawasa on the right. Local offices will continue monitoring with security agencies.

The campaign began in Baghdad on Aug. 20, when the commission and the National Security Service closed Korek’s Jadriya headquarters and three sales centres. The Rusafa Court of First Instance suspended the regulator’s decisions three days later, and the commission said the same court cancelled that order on Aug. 24 after an appeal by executive chairman Baligh Abu Galal. Closures followed in Karbala, Najaf, Diwaniyah and Babil, including the company’s centre at Najaf International Airport.

The commission announced on Aug. 9 that it was moving to shut down Korek’s network and place liens on its assets after cancelling a settlement, and warned subscribers not to recharge balances or buy services while telling them to keep their SIM cards. It says Korek still owes $375 million from the 2007 mobile licence auction; Korek says payment was conditional on the transfer of the former Iraqna subscriber base, which it says never happened. The regulator said in April that Korek owed about 1.4 trillion dinars, roughly $1.06 billion at the official rate, under a settlement signed in September 2025, and cancelled it in June. Korek disputes that, saying the agreement came from a committee set up by the prime minister’s office and depended partly on a 4G licence, and has asked Zaidi to intervene.