Iraq Security Forces Prepare to Enter Jurf al-Sakhar Amid Oil-Smuggling Probe
Iraqi forces have prepared to enter Jurf al-Sakhar, with Counterterrorism and Rapid Response units on standby, a government security source told Kurdistan24
ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Iraqi security forces have completed preparations for a possible operation to enter Jurf al-Nasr, formerly known as Jurf al-Sakhar, south of Baghdad, as the government intensifies its response to an alleged oil-smuggling network and seeks to strengthen state control over the area.
A security source in the Iraqi government told Kurdistan24 on Sunday that an extensive security meeting had been held under the supervision of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, with preparations completed for security forces to enter the area.
According to information obtained by Kurdistan24, Counterterrorism Service units and Rapid Response forces have been prepared to take part in the operation.
Kurdistan24 also learned that Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi had set Friday as a final deadline for Kataib Hezbollah to allow government security forces to enter Jurf al-Nasr. The reported deadline signals mounting pressure on the armed group to permit federal forces to operate in the area.
The reported preparations follow a high-level security meeting chaired by Lieutenant General Abdul Amir al-Shammari, Director of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief, and attended by Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah, senior Interior Ministry officials, commanders of the army and Federal Police, intelligence chiefs, and representatives of the National Security Service and Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF).
According to a statement from Iraq's Security Media Cell issued on Sunday, the meeting reviewed recommendations and measures arising from the oil-smuggling case in Jurf al-Nasr, as well as disciplinary actions against several military and security commanders found to have fallen short of their duties.
Participants described the case as an infringement on state sovereignty and public funds, stressing that all officials must be held accountable and that the law must be applied without exception.
The meeting also called for intelligence agencies to coordinate more closely, accelerate arrest warrants and pursue wanted suspects, strengthen security checkpoints around the area, and review procedures for protecting oil facilities and companies operating across the country.
The authorities further stressed the need to prevent security breaches and the misuse of oil infrastructure for illegal activities, while ensuring that government directives are implemented on the ground.
Jurf al-Nasr, widely known as Jurf al-Sakhar, is a strategically sensitive area in Babil province, south of Baghdad. The area has remained under the influence of Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed Iraqi armed group operating within the broader PMF framework, since Iraqi forces recaptured it from the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.
Its security arrangements and the limited presence of regular federal forces have repeatedly raised questions about the Iraqi government's ability to exercise full authority over the area.
The latest developments come amid a widening investigation into alleged oil smuggling through Jurf al-Nasr and other parts of Iraq. Prime Minister al-Zaidi has ordered suspects implicated in the case to be referred to the judiciary and dismissed several security and administrative officials over alleged negligence.
The reported preparations for a security operation, if confirmed, could mark a significant test of the government's efforts to enforce federal authority, pursue those implicated in the alleged smuggling network, and bring strategically sensitive areas under state control.