ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraq’s interior ministry on Wednesday announced that terror-related activities nationwide have dropped 88 percent over the past three years, with over 222 suspected terrorists killed, as Baghdad continues clamping down on Islamic State (ISIS) remnants.  

“The rate of terrorist crimes has decreased by 88 percent,” Miqdad Miri, head of media for the interior ministry, said during a Baghdad presser, adding that 222 suspected terrorists have been killed across the country. 

Iraqi security forces routinely carry out operations against ISIS remnants. They frequently partner with Kurdish Peshmerga forces, as well as the US-led global coalition, to target ISIS remnants in the disputed territories between the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 

ISIS controlled large swathes of Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2017. Since then, the group has mainly resorted to hit-and-run attacks. 

Iraq is also targeting the rampant drug trade in the country. During the presser, Miri said that the interior ministry has recorded “a 366 percent increase in drug seizures, issued 21,000 arrest warrants for drug traffickers, and issued 21,181 court rulings imposing fines exceeding 71 billion dinars.” 

A total of 1,231 drug networks, including 171 international cells, have been dismantled, Miri noted. 

Baghdad is increasing cooperation with regional and international countries in the fight against drugs, with Iraqi authorities having “exchanged 1,300 pieces of information with neighboring countries regarding drug traffickers.” 

In October, the head of the Kurdistan Region’s correctional facilities told The New Region that terror charges have decreased while drug offenses have surged, with around 1,700 prisoners currently held on drug-related charges. 

“The rate of terrorist crimes has decreased by 88 percent, and tribal clashes by 92 percent. We have exchanged 1,300 pieces of information with neighboring countries regarding drug traffickers, signed 11 security memoranda of understanding on narcotics with regional countries,” ministry spokesperson Miqdad Miri told reporters during a presser.

Iraq, with its extensive borders with Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait, has evolved from a transit route to a significant consumption market. 

Authorities in both the Kurdistan Region and Iraq, however, have redoubled their efforts to root out the problem, with initiatives aiming to provide users with necessary assistance, as well as frequent operations to apprehend traffickers.