Iraq PM Sacks Nine Officials Over Oil Smuggling in Pro-Iran Stronghold
Iraq’s Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has dismissed nine senior security officials after an investigation uncovered illegal oil refineries and an alleged smuggling operation in Jurf al-Nasr, a town in Babil province that serves as a stronghold of the Iran-backed armed group Kataib Hezbollah.
The dismissals were announced on Saturday, November 14, after al-Zaidi chaired an emergency security meeting to review the findings of a special committee investigating smuggling in the area. Military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan confirmed the decisions to the Iraqi News Agency (INA), and all of those accused of involvement were referred to the judiciary. No convictions have been announced.
Who was dismissed
The nine officials removed from their posts span Iraq’s security, intelligence and energy institutions. They include the police chief of Babil province, the director of North Babil Police, provincial intelligence and counterterrorism officials, the director of national security in Babil, and the Defence Ministry’s intelligence and security director for the province.
Also dismissed were the Popular Mobilization Forces commander for Babil, the Interior Ministry commander of the Sixth Energy Police Brigade, and the director of the state-run Oil Pipelines Company at the Ministry of Oil.
What the investigation found
According to al-Numan, the committee’s probe uncovered illegal oil refineries and evidence of manipulation linked to smuggling activity in Jurf al-Nasr, also known as Jurf al-Sakhar.
Earlier in the week, the INA reported that “intelligence documents” containing satellite images showed crude oil and oil-derivatives smuggling by an armed faction that had tapped into a pipeline in the area. Al Jazeera, citing a leaked intelligence assessment, reported that the alleged network may have been worth as much as $30 million a month, with two strategic pipelines south of Baghdad effectively tapped and the siphoned oil sold on the black market. Those figures are attributed to the leaked assessment and have not been independently confirmed.
Al-Zaidi was blunt about the crackdown. “No inch of Iraq will be allowed to have oil smuggling operations like this,” he said, according to Al Jazeera.
Why Jurf al-Nasr matters
Jurf al-Nasr sits in Babil province, south of Baghdad, and has been a Kataib Hezbollah bastion for years. Iraqi forces retook the area from ISIS about 12 years ago, but it has remained beyond full state control ever since, and more than 100,000 people are still unable to return to their homes, according to Shafaq News.
Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Baghdad, Peter Smith, reported that previous Iraqi governments had avoided confronting the alleged smuggling network there. Akeel Abbas, a senior non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Iraq Initiative, told Al Jazeera that oil smuggling by various political factions and armed groups “is common in Iraq.”
Why this matters
The dismissals are one of the most direct challenges yet by an Iraqi prime minister to the armed factions that have operated with wide latitude across the country. Abbas told Al Jazeera the crackdown is really about militia disarmament, framed as an anticorruption drive to cut off a group’s financial lifeline.
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The stakes are high. Kataib Hezbollah recently issued sharp statements threatening the government and accusing the prime minister of corruption, and senior Iraqi politicians have told AFP that al-Zaidi has repeatedly said he is ready to confront groups that refuse to disarm.
The episode also lands against a tense regional backdrop. U.S. prosecutors have separately charged Iran-backed operatives in a plot targeting a U.S.-used base in Britain, and Trump has told advisers he may hold off on military action against Iran barring new provocations. For Iraq, oil revenue is the lifeblood of the state budget, so a smuggling network worth tens of millions of dollars a month is a direct drain on public funds.
What happens next
The officials who were dismissed have been referred to the judiciary, but no charges or convictions have been announced, and the accused remain presumed innocent. It is not yet clear whether further officials will be named or whether investigators will move against the armed faction itself.
The test for al-Zaidi will be whether the crackdown extends beyond dismissals to prosecutions — and whether the state can finally reassert control over Jurf al-Nasr. If it does, the episode could mark a turning point in Baghdad’s long standoff with the militias. If it stalls, it will look like another gesture against a problem Iraq’s leaders have avoided for years.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Jurf al-Nasr?
Jurf al-Nasr, also known as Jurf al-Sakhar, is a town in Babil province south of Baghdad. It is a stronghold of the Iran-backed armed group Kataib Hezbollah and has remained beyond full state control since it was retaken from ISIS about 12 years ago.
Who was dismissed in the oil smuggling probe?
Nine senior officials, including the Babil police chief, provincial intelligence and counterterrorism officials, the Popular Mobilization Forces commander for Babil, an Interior Ministry energy police commander, and the director of the Oil Pipelines Company at the Ministry of Oil.
How large is the alleged smuggling network?
A leaked intelligence assessment reported by Al Jazeera put the alleged network at up to $30 million a month, with two strategic pipelines south of Baghdad allegedly tapped. That figure has not been independently confirmed.
What happens to the dismissed officials now?
They have been referred to the judiciary, according to military spokesperson Sabah al-Numan. No convictions have been announced, and the accused remain presumed innocent.
In the end, the dismissals put al-Zaidi’s government on a collision course with one of Iraq’s most powerful armed groups. The coming weeks will show whether Baghdad is prepared to follow through — or whether the smuggling network in Jurf al-Nasr survives another prime minister’s warning.
Sources: Al Jazeera (https://www.byteseu.com/2522774/); HeadlinesXtra (https://headlinesxtra.com/2026/11/15/iraq-dismisses-nine-officials-oil-smuggling-probe-jurf-al-nasr-november-2026/); Iraqi News Agency via Al Jazeera
