21 unlicensed smelting furnaces shut, 17 arrested in Baghdad’s Bab al-Sheikh

BAGHDAD — Authorities shut down and removed 21 unlicensed metal smelting furnaces and arrested 17 people for environmental violations in Baghdad’s Bab al-Sheikh neighborhood on Tuesday, Baghdad Operations Command said.

The furnaces were operating without permits and breaching environmental standards, releasing gases and odors that posed health risks, the command said. The operation was carried out by a committee set up under Administrative Order No. 241285 to inspect factories, workshops and smelters and cut industrial pollution, with the National Security Service, Rusafa Environmental Police, Baghdad Environment Directorate, municipal departments and local police. The 17 were handed over for legal proceedings.

Authorities have repeatedly targeted unlicensed smelters across Baghdad. In June, five factories and several smelting sites in Sabaa Qusour were shut, and in May the Environment Ministry closed more than 22 illegal smelting sites in Rusafa. In December 2025, Baghdad Operations Command closed 326 facilities for environmental and health violations, including 208 smelting furnaces and 118 asphalt and brick factories. Baghdad’s air pollution comes from industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, diesel generators and waste burning, and Governor Atwan al-Atwani held an emergency meeting on air quality in November 2025.