Iraq records 617 suicide cases in first half of 2026, interior ministry says

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraq's Interior Ministry released comprehensive crime and security statistics for the first half of 2026 on Thursday, reporting 617 suicide cases during the period while overall crime rates fell by 18 percent. Major General Mikdad Miri, director of the ministry's Media Relations Department, told a press conference at the ministry building in Baghdad that authorities had resolved 82 percent of cases and cleared 79 percent of intentional homicides. Miri said Baghdad's Karkh district saw a 51 percent drop in crime, making it the safest area in the country, while Basra recorded the highest rate of criminal incidents. Anti-narcotics operations seized 1,976 kilograms of narcotics and more than 4 million pills, with courts handing down 58 death sentences and 263 life imprisonment terms to drug offenders, according to the ministry. Border security units apprehended 2,054 smugglers and fugitives, the ministry added, while 378 suspects were detained in operations against oil smuggling. The ministry did not immediately provide a breakdown of the suicide figures by region or demographic group.