Iraq.. Secret Intelligence Documents Reveal Oil Smuggling Network in Jurf al-Sakhar and Put Hezbollah Brigades Under Scrutiny

Classified Iraqi intelligence documents marked “Top Secret” have revealed suspected oil-smuggling operations in the Jurf al-Sakhar area of Babil Governorate in central Iraq. The revelations raise new questions about the scale of networks involved in smuggling the country’s oil resources and the parties that may be behind these activities.

According to documents obtained by Sky News Arabia, the operations involve the transportation of oil using large tanker trucks, each with a capacity of up to 36,000 liters. Sites suspected of being used to store oil have also been identified, along with facilities resembling small oil refineries.

The documents include satellite images documenting tanker movements and locations associated with the suspected activities. The intelligence report also identified three possible routes for transporting oil from Jurf al-Sakhar toward the capital, Baghdad.

The report warned of serious economic consequences resulting from the continuation of these operations. It indicated that oil-loading activities continue during nighttime hours, suggesting an organized operation that is difficult to monitor through conventional means.

Meanwhile, a source speaking to Sky News Arabia confirmed alleged links between the smuggling operations and Iraq’s Hezbollah Brigades. This raises political and security questions about the parties involved and the authorities’ ability to hold those responsible accountable.

Iraqi politician Bahjat al-Kurdi, for his part, questioned whether Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government would be able to hold those involved accountable if their links to factions wielding political and military influence in Iraq were established.

Al-Kurdi argued that what is happening in Jurf al-Sakhar cannot be separated from the broader issue of oil smuggling in Iraq. He stated that oil had been smuggled since the occupation of Iraq and attributed the continuation of this phenomenon, in his assessment, to the expansion of Iranian influence across vital sectors of the country.

Al-Kurdi stressed that changing the prime minister alone would not be sufficient to end smuggling operations without the political will to enforce state authority and hold all those involved accountable without exception.

He also linked the case to the issue of placing all weapons under state control. According to his assessment, factions refusing to surrender their weapons are seeking ministries and security positions in exchange for their stance on this issue.

Al-Kurdi also referred to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s appearance at a weapons exhibition, describing the move as carrying political messages directed at several armed factions, particularly the Hezbollah Brigades and the al-Nujaba Movement, as well as Iran.

These documents have brought the Jurf al-Sakhar case back into the spotlight in Iraq. The issue goes beyond oil smuggling alone, raising broader questions about armed groups’ influence, the management of national resources and the ability of official institutions to enforce the law and protect the country’s wealth.

Editorial note: The allegations and assessments presented in this article are attributed to their respective sources and are not presented as judicially established facts.