ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Iraqi special security forces entered Baghdad’s Green Zone and locked down the area overnight on Sunday, amid reports of raids on several senior officials’ residences due to their implication in corruption cases. 

Videos circulating on social media showed heavily-armored vehicles and tanks rolling in the high-profile neighborhood in the early hours of the day, as the area was sealed off from the rest of the Iraqi capital.

Baghdad’s Green Zone is the administrative nerve of the Iraqi government, housing the Prime Minister’s Office, the Iraqi parliament, diplomatic missions, including the US Embassy, as well as the headquarters of many political parties.

The raids are reported to be in relation to a major crackdown on corruption under Iraq’s recently-appointed Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, with many senior leaders and top officials also reportedly arrested, though no official publication has been issued as of the time of writing this article.

The Green Zone raids come against the backdrop of a recent corruption case involving over $85 million that was unearthed by Iraqi authorities, in a case involving Iraq’s former Deputy Oil Minister Adnan al-Jumaili, who was arrested in May.

Iraq’s Federal Integrity Commission announced earlier in June that it had uncovered an embezzlement case in Diyala's electricity directorate, involving nearly 2 billion dinars. The case resulted in the dismissal of four senior officials at the department.

Prime Minister Zaidi pledged in May that under his leadership, Baghdad will “work vigorously” to protect public funds against corruption, as it “constitutes an obstacle and delays the progress of the state.”

“We will work to consolidate security and stability, protect Iraq's sovereignty, and strengthen our Arab, regional, and international relations,” the premier said in a speech.

Iraq has long suffered with rampant corruption and bribery. The country ranked 140 out of 180 countries on Transparency International’s 2024 Corruption Perceptions Index, despite successive Iraqi government’s vowing to clamp down on the phenomenon.