ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - Iraq’s National Security Service (INSS) announced on Thursday that it had arrested 54 people on terrorism charges as part of a nationwide security campaign that saw more than 1,500 arrest warrants executed. “The Service's units executed 1,568 judicial arrest warrants in Baghdad and across [other] provinces,” the INSS said in a statement, noting that the arrests included “54 accused of terrorism offenses, 194 of drug offenses, 553 of extortion and threats, 195 of fraud and swindling, and 54 accused of promoting the banned Ba'ath Party.” Dubbed “Shadow of Justice,” the operation was officially announced on September 1 and relied on extensive security and intelligence efforts to locate people wanted by the judiciary. The INSS said the operation was carried out under the direct supervision of the head of the agency and in coordination with judges in Baghdad and other provinces. It involved locating suspects, tracking their movements and executing judicial warrants against them. While the INSS said the operation had achieved its objectives, it stressed that efforts to pursue wanted suspects would continue. The security sweep comes amid a broader crackdown on crime and corruption under Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who took office in May. In late June, Iraqi authorities launched Operation Dawn, a large-scale anti-corruption campaign ordered by Zaidi and carried out largely by the Federal Commission of Integrity with support from the Counter-Terrorism Service. More than 200 officials, lawmakers, government employees and business figures were detained during the first six weeks of the campaign. Zaidi has made strengthening state institutions and the rule of law key priorities of his government. In his inaugural address to parliament in May, he pledged sweeping security reforms, including “confining weapons to state control,” strengthening Iraq’s intelligence and defense capabilities and ensuring that decisions of war and peace remain in state hands. The latest campaign also comes as Iraq prepares for the September 30 deadline for the US-led coalition’s military mission in the country to end. The Islamic State (ISIS), which seized swathes of Iraq and neighboring Syria in 2014 before being territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017, continues to pose a security threat, with Iraqi forces regularly announcing operations targeting suspected militants and hideouts. RELATED: Iraq nets 500 wanted suspects in one month amid nationwide security sweep
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