40 foreigners arrested in Baghdad’s Bataween for residency violations

BAGHDAD — Police arrested 40 foreign nationals for residency violations in a security operation in Baghdad’s Bataween area and Al-Nidal Street on Saturday, the Rusafa Police Command said.

The operation, involving several security and intelligence agencies, searched homes for wanted individuals, residency violators and unlicensed weapons, the command said. All 40 were detained pending legal proceedings. The statement did not give their nationalities or say whether any weapons or other prohibited items were found.

The Interior Ministry said on Monday that it had deported 32,457 foreign nationals for residency violations since the start of 2026, 20,114 of them from Baghdad, against 43,986 in all of 2025.