Iraqi forces raid Baghdad Green Zone in anti-corruption crackdown

BAGHDAD – Iraqi elite security forces deployed across Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone before dawn on Sunday as authorities launched what security sources described as a large-scale anti-corruption operation targeting politicians, officials and security personnel under judicial warrants.

The deployment involved members of Iraq's Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), backed by military units and armoured vehicles, according to security officials and local media. Videos circulating on social media showed tanks, armoured vehicles and heavily-armed personnel moving through the Green Zone, while several of its main entrances were temporarily sealed.

A security source told Al-Mada news outlet that special forces established positions near sensitive government compounds while security measures were tightened at roads leading into the district.

The source said the deployment coincided with arrest operations carried out under judicial warrants targeting political figures, government officials and security personnel whose names appeared in files linked to corruption and abuse of influence.

Another security official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that a "raid targeted several politicians over financial corruption, per judicial orders," adding that the operation involved anti-terrorism forces alongside the military.

The Green Zone, once the headquarters of US-led coalition authorities after the 2003 invasion, houses Iraq's parliament, the prime minister's office, the Supreme Judicial Council, foreign embassies including the US mission, and the residences of many senior political figures.

According to Iraqi media reports, Counter-Terrorism Service units established intensive checkpoints throughout the district while conducting coordinated searches of homes belonging to lawmakers, politicians and businessmen.

Shafaq News, citing security sources, reported that more than eight people were arrested during the overnight operation, including members of parliament whose parliamentary immunity had been lifted under judicial procedures.

Several Iraqi outlets reported that additional raids were conducted outside the Green Zone, including in Baghdad's al-Shaab district.

Despite widespread reports of arrests, Iraqi security agencies, the government and the Supreme Judicial Council had not issued official statements by Sunday confirming the identities of those detained or the specific charges they face.

The operation comes as Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi seeks to demonstrate progress on one of his central political pledges: tackling entrenched corruption that has long plagued Iraq's political and state institutions.

Corruption remains one of Iraq's most politically sensitive issues, with previous governments frequently announcing investigations that critics said rarely reached senior political figures.

Sunday's deployment of the Counter-Terrorism Service, an elite force reporting directly to the commander-in-chief, suggested authorities were treating the operation as a high-security mission aimed at preventing interference during the execution of judicial warrants.