The fortified Green Zone of Baghdad, where the main embassies and the headquarters of the Iraqi Government are concentrated, has become since dawn the epicenter of a wide-ranging crackdown on corruption that, for now, has left 47 people arrested, including several parliamentarians allegedly linked to an extensive scheme uncovered by former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al Jumaili.
Units of the Army, along with the Counter-Terrorism Service and agents of the Integrity Commission, have participated in the operation. The military stormed the Green Zone with tanks and armored vehicles, used as barriers to completely seal off the diplomatic perimeter and prevent pedestrian access. As the day progressed, the operation expanded to the Sadr City and Mansour neighborhoods.
The official Iraqi agency NINA has confirmed these 47 arrests, while the Integrity Commission is gradually releasing the identities of those arrested.
Among the most relevant names are Ali Maraj al Bahadli, current Deputy Minister of Oil Distribution, subject to US sanctions for allegedly coordinating diversions of Iraqi crude oil in favor of the Iranian government, and Muthanna al Samarrai, leader of the influential Sunni party Azem Alliance, which controls 15 of the 209 seats in the Iraqi Parliament.
The raid was launched by order of the newly appointed Prime Minister, Ali al Zaidi, who took office last month in a particularly delicate political context, both domestically and regionally.
Iraq plays a central role in the struggle between Iran, the United States, and Israel, due to the strong influence Tehran exerts over Baghdad. Washington has set two red lines for the new Executive: curb the power of pro-Iranian militias and carry out a "clean-up" against corruption once and for all.
According to sources cited by the Kurdish-Iraqi agency Rudaw, at the heart of this operation is the case of former Deputy Minister Al Jumaili, whose arrest last month has spurred one of the largest anti-corruption investigations in recent years in the country.
The Kurdish deputy Sherwan Dubardani explained to the same agency that Al Jumaili, accused of illegally diverting funds from up to four major Iraqi refineries and illicitly financing political parties, has pointed to dozens of possible accomplices, including some allies of the former prime minister and predecessor of Al Zaidi, Mohamad Shia al Sudani.