Anbar agriculture directorate warns of toxic datura plant reappearance

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Anbar Agriculture Directorate has warned that the toxic datura plant, commonly known as "devil's trumpet," has reappeared in several areas of the western Iraqi province, posing a serious risk to human and animal health. Directorate official Omar Abdulmoneim Mashhadani urged residents not to touch the plant and to report sightings to the relevant authorities. Mashhadani said datura is a species introduced to Anbar from outside Iraq after 2003, with seeds spreading to different areas and regrowing. He recalled a 2019 incident in which a child was hospitalized for 24 hours after ingesting the plant, and noted that the directorate has been coordinating with municipal and security units to destroy outbreaks by burning. Environmental expert Ali Al-Fahd said datura seeds can remain dormant in soil for extended periods, adding that regular field surveys and public awareness efforts are needed for a lasting solution. No further details on the current scale of the outbreak were immediately available.