By order of Al-Kazemi ... security operations in Basra and Baghdad to confiscate unlicensed weapons

At dawn today, Saturday, security operations began in Basra and Baghdad to confiscate unauthorized weapons by order of Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi, in an effort to impose security at a time when armed incidents, including assassinations targeting activists, are frequent.

The largest operation was launched in Basra Governorate (550 km south of Baghdad) with the participation of Iraqi army and police units, and it is scheduled to last 5 days, and comes about two weeks after Al-Kazemi's visit to Basra.

The Security Media Cell of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense said in a statement that forces from the army, the Marine Infantry Brigade, the Border Guard and the Emergency Police are participating in the ongoing operation in Basra Governorate.

The Anadolu News Agency quoted an officer in the Basra Operations Command as saying that the operation aims to end the phenomenon of tribal conflicts, as it has recently recorded clashes using heavy weapons, such as anti-armor missiles and heavy machine guns, which are supposed to be owned by official forces only.

And Basra Operations Commander Akram Saddam said on Friday that he would allow the possession of one light weapon (machine gun) in every house, knowing that Iraqi law allows every Iraqi family to keep a light weapon after registering it with the relevant authorities, but according to tribal customs, Iraqis keep a lot of Weapons in their homes, including rocket-propelled grenades.

In Baghdad, a similar operation was launched at dawn today, with the participation of military and security forces in areas and neighborhoods east of the city.

Al-Kazemi talks to leaders of the security services during his recent visit to Basra (Reuters)

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Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kazemi ordered the security forces Thursday to end the phenomenon of fugitive weapons and work to impose the prestige of the state, and this step comes while the Iraqi government is trying to contain armed groups accused of launching attacks on military bases that include American and Iraqi forces, and carrying out assassinations against activists Those calling for fighting corruption, improving services, and providing jobs for the unemployed.

On the security front, the Iraqi National Security Agency announced today the release of a Jordanian person who heads the Mercedes branch in Iraq from his captors, who had been holding him for 3 days.

The security service said that the kidnapped person was being held in an abandoned house in the Cairo neighborhood of northeastern Baghdad, and that he was liberated thanks to intelligence information, indicating that weapons and phones belonging to the kidnappers were found, without clarifying their fate.