Gunfire Kills Baghdad Municipality Police Chief During Enforcement Operation
A Baghdad Municipality Police brigadier general and another officer were killed and four personnel wounded during an operation against illegal encroachments in Dora.
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - The chief of the Baghdad Municipality Police on the Karkh side of the capital and another security officer were killed Thursday after gunfire erupted during an operation to remove illegal encroachments in southern Baghdad, while a security source told Kurdistan24 that the shooter belonged to an armed group and opened fire from a rooftop.
Saad Maan, head of Iraq’s Security Media Cell, confirmed to Kurdistan24 on Aug. 27 that the Karkh Municipality Police chief had been killed and several other officers wounded.
A separate security source provided Kurdistan24 with additional information about the attack, saying the person who shot the police chief was affiliated with an armed group and fired on the security force from the roof of a building.
That account has not yet been accompanied by a public identification of the alleged group by federal authorities.
The official Iraqi News Agency, citing a security source, said the shooting occurred during a Baghdad Municipality campaign in the Dora area after authorities obtained a court order to remove illegal encroachments.
According to the report, one of the people targeted by the enforcement operation opened fire directly on the force.
Security forces seal off area
The Security Media Cell said personnel from the Baghdad Municipality Police Regiment were accompanied by emergency police forces and members of the Arab Jabour Police Station when they reached the designated location and came under direct fire.
The municipality police commander later died from his wounds.
A Federal Police member, two Municipality Police personnel and another member of the security forces were wounded in the shooting, according to the Security Media Cell.
Security forces responded by imposing a tight cordon around the area under orders from the Baghdad Operations Commander.
Several senior security commanders went to the scene, while entrances to the area were sealed as authorities launched a large-scale search for those responsible.
The Security Media Cell said one suspect had been detained and that security operations were continuing.
Authorities did not immediately provide further details about the detained person's alleged role in the shooting or identify additional suspects being sought.
The incident turns what began as a municipal law-enforcement operation into a major security investigation and underscores the risks faced by security personnel implementing court and government orders in areas where illegal construction or occupation is being challenged.
Interior Ministry orders joint investigation
In a statement issued after the attack, Senior Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry Hussein al-Awadi mourned the brigadier general and the second police member killed while carrying out their duties.
He said four other personnel from the Federal Police and Baghdad Karkh police forces had been wounded.
"The martyrdom of Interior Ministry personnel while fulfilling their national duty, enforcing the law and maintaining public order represents the highest form of sacrifice and devotion in the service of the country and its citizens," al-Awadi said.
The Interior Ministry has ordered the immediate formation of a joint security and intelligence task force to investigate the circumstances of the attack and identify everyone involved.
Al-Awadi said authorities would make every effort to arrest the perpetrators and refer them to the judiciary.
"The blood of our martyrs will not have been shed in vain," he said, adding that the ministry would continue to enforce the law and protect citizens as well as public and private property.
The operation in Dora had been undertaken as part of an official campaign against illegal encroachments, a term commonly used by Iraqi authorities for unauthorized occupation, construction or use of public land and property.
The Iraqi News Agency said the municipality had obtained judicial authorization before launching Thursday's operation.
The shooting represents a serious escalation in resistance to such enforcement measures, with a senior police commander among those killed while implementing the court-backed action.
As of Thursday afternoon, the area remained under heightened security while forces continued searching for additional suspects.
Officials have not yet released the identities of the two personnel killed or provided further information on the conditions of the four wounded officers.
The Interior Ministry said the investigation would seek to establish the full circumstances of the attack and ensure those responsible face prosecution, while stressing that the deadly incident would not halt efforts to enforce government orders and the authority of the law.
This is a developing story.
This article was updated on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at 12:49pm.