statement
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Under the follow-up and guidance of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, the security authorities are keen to follow up and analyze any circulating information related to the security issue and the safety of citizens. Some social networking sites have circulated information about (the presence of tons of highly explosive chemicals in Iraqi ports, or in other locations inside containers that threaten… The safety of citizens, oil installations, and the country’s economic projects), and we would like to clarify the following:
1. The Joint Operations Command dealt with what was reported on this subject very seriously, and proceeded to form a committee headed by an advanced-ranking officer and with the membership of a group of all competent authorities from the technical and administrative departments to research and scrutinize this information over a period of three days, since September 26 of the current year. It is still ongoing, and the presence of such containers in Iraqi ports, or warehouses and docks has not been confirmed or confirmed, noting that inspections and visits are continuing by this committee.
2. The operations to evacuate the illegal containers from the ports ended a long time ago to (Al-Hadama area) in Basra Governorate on the southern border, which is far from any facilities or residential areas, and does not pose any danger as it is in a desert area, and there are measures taken by the Ministry of Finance regarding Many of these containers include gifting the materials they contain to the ministries and entities that can benefit from them, destroying the containers that cannot be used according to the controls and instructions in force by the competent authorities in the Ministry of Higher Education and the processing center, destroying the chemical materials, and receiving part of them from Ministry of Industry.
3. There have been measures taken on this issue by the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers and relevant authorities for years to evacuate and deliver, or destroy all containers that pose a risk in their storage, or delay their receipt from the public and private sectors.
4. In light of the current sensitive circumstances, and more than ten days ago, directives were issued by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces to the relevant ministries and departments that deal with chemical or agricultural materials, and oil installations, as well as health, ammunition, and explosives, including all security and military manufacturing agencies, to take All immediate measures related to the conditions and safety of storage and dispersal, ensuring protection and prevention, and forming subcommittees for this purpose.
May God protect Iraq and its honorable people
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Joint Operations Command
Security Media Cell
September 30, 2024
