Baghdad municipality says illegal buildings demolished only by court order

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The Baghdad Municipality said illegal residential structures are removed only under judicial authorization, with the latest demolition carried out in the Patrol (Devriye) district on a plot allocated to Special Forces personnel. Municipality spokesperson Adil Cendel said a court order was issued for the property after the structure was built on the allocated land without authorization. Before demolition, the municipality's Illegal Structures Unit used loudspeakers and direct warnings, accompanied by Baghdad Municipality police, to ask the owners to remove the illegal construction voluntarily. The warnings went unheeded, Cendel said, prompting the court-ordered action. Cendel said the demolition teams, including the units overseeing the land and municipal officers, were supported by security personnel because civilian municipal staff do not carry weapons. He said demolition operations have at times faced verbal abuse, threats and stone-throwing, and that one person reacted unlawfully during the latest demolition. The municipality does not intervene in the buying and selling of illegally allocated plots, Cendel said, calling such transactions illegal. He added that protection and security support for municipal employees will be increased following the latest incident.