Basra, Iraq – The Iraqi National Intelligence Service announced on Sunday that it had carried out a major preemptive security operation in Basra province. The operation resulted in the seizure of a large shipment of highly dangerous chemicals inside the Umm Qasr port. The shipment was destined for illegal entry into the country.
Details of the security operation
According to an official statement issued by the intelligence service, the operation was based on precise intelligence information. It also included intensive field surveillance and yielded the following results:
Size of the seizure: (30) large containers were seized. These containers contain chemicals classified internationally as “highly hazardous” and subject to strict import protocols.
Initial investigations revealed that the shipment was imported illegally. This was done without obtaining the necessary official approvals and outside of the state’s approved import controls.
Legal and technical coordination
The statement confirmed that the seizure operation was carried out under strict judicial orders, and in joint coordination with the Border Ports Authority.
Upon completion of the operation, the seized containers and materials were handed over “properly” to the competent technical authorities.
As well as initiating the necessary legal procedures to track down the importing entities and the final destinations to which they were destined.
Urgent technical measures must be taken to ensure the neutralization of the threat posed by these materials. The aim is to prevent them from falling into the hands of any unauthorized parties who might use them for purposes that threaten security and public order.
Security message
This operation is part of the Iraqi security forces’ efforts to tighten control over land and sea ports. These efforts aim to prevent ports from becoming conduits for smuggling prohibited or dangerous materials, which could be used in sabotage activities or illegal industries.
