Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi launched an offensive against oil smuggling in Jurf al-Nasr district, Babil province, an area controlled by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia.
Kataib Hezbollah is among the Iranian-backed armed groups that have refused to disarm under the government's timeline. The report states that the area of smuggling falls under the responsibility of an "armed faction. ".
Zaidi ordered all those involved to be referred to the judicial system and fired nine security and oil officials, including the chief of the Babil police, the heads of intelligence and national security in Babil, the commander of the PMF in Babil and the manager of the oil pipeline company.
He swore that "not one centimeter of Iraq, from Zacho to Basra, will be left for smuggling."