ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - The Iraqi National Security Service (INSS) on Thursday announced that it dismantled two human trafficking networks that were set to sell newborn infants in Baghdad and Dhi Qar, with a total of nine suspects having been arrested.
"Acting on precise intelligence and field surveillance, and after obtaining the requisite judicial authorizations, units of the Iraqi National Security Service carried out two targeted operations that resulted in the dismantling of two human trafficking networks and the foiling of two sales of newborn infants, with the perpetrators apprehended red-handed," the service said in a statement.
"In Dhi Qar province, the units set an ambush for a group engaged in selling a one-day-old infant, and arrested four suspects after they had handed over the infant and received payment," the INSS added.
In Baghdad, another operation saw the arrest of five suspected traffickers, including licensed midwives, after they were caught "while attempting to sell a one-day-old infant."
"All suspects have been referred to the competent authorities for the necessary legal proceedings against them."
Human trafficking remains a large issue in Iraq, with the Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights in July reporting that 5,107 individuals were detained in connection to such cases in 2025, though merely 385 victims were identified and documented over the same period.
"The most vulnerable groups remain the most exposed to these networks — women, children, internally displaced persons, refugees, migrant workers, and persons with disabilities," IOHR noted.
The monitor further noted that 19 networks implicated in the sale of children were dismantled in 2025, with 26 victims having been documented.
However, of the 75 suspects detained on charges of involvement, merely 39 convictions were secured by law enforcement authorities.
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